Blood and Love
by belleartiste
Summary: E/S. Post ep 2.08 NO bomb - - Eric is trying to figure out how to make Sookie love him. MaryAnn has a few new tricks up her sleeve. Bill and Sookie are fighting again. Who will Sookie turn to in her time of need? NOW COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my first fic in like 5 or 10 years so be kind. I apologize that there is no E/S in this yet but I promise that there will be! None of the characters belong to me. If they did Eric would be serving a different purpose. Please read and review. BE KIND! REVIEW!

PS – This takes place mid-season 2. Just after the incident with the Fellowship of the Sun. There was no bombing at Godric's house. Everyone is in good health. ENJOY

Chapter 1

Eric Northman sat in his office and pondered his next move. The plan to send Sookie to Texas had failed. Bill Compton had road blocked him by insisting that he should accompany her.

Eric had even brought in Bill's maker, hoping that Lorena's love would prevent Bill from being able to save Sookie. That plan had almost worked – until Godric himself had gotten involved.

"No bloodshed." He muttered out loud.

What a joke. Getting out of a heavily guarded church with a human girl, _without_ any bloodshed, was asking too much. Godric's new idea to live in harmony with humans was nice but not when it could have gotten him killed. And then Bill had swooped in to save the day. He and Sookie's brother, Jason, had rescued both of them from the mob. And there she was, back in Bill Compton's cold arms.

He ran his fingers through his blonde hair in mild frustration. Now he had to figure out something else.

Pam walked into the office and smirked. She was wearing a flattering skirt, a suit jacket and brand new Jimmy Choos. "Still pouting I see." She said dryly.

"I'm not pouting," Eric stared daggers at her, "I'm thinking."

"Ah yes, of course." She dismissed his lie with a wave of her hand. "I'm headed to meet with the zoning commissioner about the proposed addition."

Fangtasia had grown in popularity over the last six months and they were planning on building an addition to the moderately sized club. Something a little bit more classy with private VIP rooms and areas for blood to be exchanged more politely than in the restrooms behind the bar.

"Take Chow with you." Eric ordered.

"Of course." Pam left the office. She knew a dismissal when she heard one.

***

Sookie and Bill lay in his bed at his house. The sheets were rumpled and a fine sheen of sweat covered Sookie's body. Bill held her tightly; it had been quite an invigorating evening.

"That was fantastic." Sookie purred.

"No dear, you were fantastic." Bill replied his sweet Southern charm find its way into every word.

It was nice that they had the opportunity to just lie there together. After the debacle with The Fellowship of the Sun, it was a welcome relief. Bill savored the feeling of her warm skin and her soft blonde hair against his cool skin.

Sookie rolled over and propped her head up on one hand. "I'm real glad you didn't kill anybody at The Fellowship of the Sun."

"I would have only killed if it were necessary to protect your life."

"I know that Bill," Sookie replied, "I'm just glad Godric was there – to help make peace."

Bill laughed softly, shaking his head as he replied, "If only you knew what Godric used to be like, then you would see the irony of calling him a peacemaker."

"I don't know Bill," said Sookie incredulously, "He seemed rather insistent about it. Especially when he ordered Eric not the spill any blood."

Bill looked at her sharply, "He ordered Eric to spare them? Even when they would have probably killed both of you?" He shook his head, "No wonder Eric seemed so upset, especially around Godric."

"What do you mean?" Sookie looked Bill straight in the eye.

"Well, Godric is Eric's maker, Eric cannot refuse a direct order. And Eric hasn't always been such a model vampire. He was quite bloodthirsty only a few centuries ago." Bill said this all too knowingly and then trailed off. Sookie knew there was something that he was hiding. It was times like these that she wished she could read his mind.

Suddenly Bill jolted upright in bed.

"What's the matter?" An edge of alarm crept into Sookie's voice and she pulled the sheets up around her naked body.

"Jessica." The word came out like a disease, something cold and distant and very sterile. Sookie heard a thump and a giggle. Relaxing back into the bed Sookie shook her head. "She really seems to like him Bill." She placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"She isn't mature enough to know what she wants; or even how to control her own desires." Bill's voice was tight and controlled. "What if she loses control and bites that man Hoyt? Imagine the disaster that would be." His voice rose, echoing around the room. "They'd run us out of town!"

"Yeah, the lynching committee would consist solely of his mom and Andy Belfleur." Sookie said patronizingly. "Don't you think that they would have done that already; seeing that you've bitten me, and have been sleeping with me for a couple months now. Heck I practically live here in your house most nights. " Sookie shook her head, "I think it'll be okay."

"I still worry about her."

"That's fine, but at least give the girl a little time with her boyfriend; she's a teenager for god sakes."

Reluctantly Bill sank back down onto the down pillows, "Fine."

"There," Sookie slid over and curled up next to him, "Now don't worry about them, and they wont worry about us. Especially when they start hearing the noises you're about to make!" She slid down under the covers and Bill closed his eyes in pleasure, a gasp coming from his breathless mouth.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I own nothing but my idea. Yes 2 updates in 1 day – I have a lot of this written in a notebook (at least through the next chapter) and its just the process of getting it on the computer. Thanks for reading and please review!

**Chapter 2**

Tara and Eggs sat in the kitchen at Sookie's house eating a slice of homemade apple pie. Since Maryann had left a couple days before Sookie had gotten home from Texas, ("Off on business" she has said), things had been much quieter around the Stackhouse place. There hadn't been any huge parties and while the food hadn't been quite as good, no one could beat Sookie's homemade apple pie.

Eggs proclaimed it by moaning in delight, "Damn that's good." Tara fed him another piece and after he had swallowed he said, "So I talked to Maryann today."

"Yeah?" Said Tara, her curiosity peaked.

"Yeah, she said she'd be back in town soon. And that she may have found us a new place to stay."

Tara's face fell. She liked Eggs living with her under the same roof, but she didn't want to live with Maryann again. Especially since she was so comfortable with her best friend Sookie.

Just then a knock on the door followed by the sound of someone saying, "Hello there you lovebirds!" cut through her wistfulness.

"Maryann!" Tara saw her friend come bounding into the room with her trademark unearthly energy. "Speak of the devil."

Maryann's brow darkened and she smiled coldly, "Now, there's no need to call anyone names."

"It's just an expression." Tara replied good naturedly, "Eggs was just telling me that you were coming back soon. I just didn't know it was _this_ soon!"

Maryann held up her hands nonchalantly, "Well! Here I am! Aren't you glad I'm back?"

"Of course." Eggs assured her.

""We were just surprised that's all." Tara held up the half eaten piece of pie. "Want some?"

"Oh no, I couldn't." Maryann exclaimed, "I have plenty of food at my new house."

Tara could just imagine the buffet of food, fruits, dried meats, all sorts of breads and cheeses. Maryann always did eat well. "You found a new place?" She asked nicely.

"Oh yes," Maryann said, "That's what I've come to tell you! Now we can all live together again. Like a big happy family."

Eggs looked excited, "That sounds great Maryann; doesn't it Tara?"

Tara responded with a question, "So where is this fabulous place?"

Maryann ignored her rudeness, "Oh just out on the north side of town," Maryann waved her hands ambiguously. "You are coming with us aren't you Tara?"

"I don't know Maryann," Tara began, "This is sorta my home now and Sookie…"

Maryann interrupted, "Sookie will be just fine without you; besides she hasn't been home in weeks! Come stay with us!" She looked expectantly at the girl sitting at the table, "Please Tara?"

"But Sookie is back finally! She got back two days ago, just after you left."

"Oh pish." Maryann waved the reason away with the flick of a wrist, "She'll still have you, you'll just be up the road. What do you say?"

Eggs and Maryann both looked at her expectantly as if they'd die without the right answer. Tara sighed and shook her head, placing both hands on the table she said firmly, "I need to talk to Sookie; she needs me now just as much as she did before she left for Dallas."

Maryann huffed. "Fine." Then she turned her attention to Eggs, "Well Eggs, I suppose this means you are going to want to stay here too."

Eggs looked hurt by Tara's decision, but he said resolutely, "Naw Maryann, I'm coming with you." Maryann smiled broadly but Eggs continued, "But before you get too excited, I'm spending one more night here with Tara."

"Oh alright then." Maryann looked at them out of the corner of her eye. "Can't keep you two out of bed even if there was a pack of wolves chasing you."

"Maryann!" Tara voiced her embarrassment.

"No, no, I understand." Maryann walked towards the living room and the stairs, "I'll just go up to the guest bedroom, we'll get an early start tomorrow. What do you say?"

"Wait," Tara was confused, "You're staying here?"

"Well why not silly? I need at least one more night under the same room as my two favorite people." She turned to flounce out of the room and Tara sighed, "Well I guess its okay, for just one more night."

Suddenly Maryann stopped in the doorway. She stood stock-still and waited, like she was hearing something or smelling something. She turned and looked at the couple sitting at the kitchen table, her face was contorted in a grimace. "You did say Sookie was back right?" Her upper lip was turned up in a snarl.

"Yeah…" Tara wondered why she asked.

But before Maryann could reply the door burst open again and in came Sookie followed closely by Bill.

"Hi Tara! Hi Eggs!" Sookie called good-naturedly. She had gotten used to Tara's new boyfriend hanging around the house and wasn't surprised to see him sitting at the kitchen table eating her apple pie. Sookie was wearing a blue and white dress with a light blue satin sash. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail and she wore small pearl studs. She went to give Tara a hug and then she saw Maryann.

"Oh! Well I didn't know y'all had company!" Sookie exclaimed.

Maryann stood stock still staring at Bill with death in her eyes. Her body had frozen, rigid with tension. Sookie saw her looking at Bill and turned to look at her vampire boyfriend. He was still standing in the doorframe looking warily at Maryann. His fangs were out and he was sniffing the air.

Sookie asked, "Bill what?" But before she could finish her sentence Bill lunged.

He slammed into Maryann, plowing her into a nearby wall and pinning her there. He bared his fangs at her and growled, "YOU." She snarled back at him and struggled against his grip. But then Sookie screamed, "Bill! Let her go!"

With fangs still extended, Bill's head whipped around to glare at Sookie. His southern drawl overwhelmed by the intensity of the moment and the length of his fangs, he said, "Sookie, she smells…"

By this point Maryann had slipped out of Bills grasp and punched him squarely in the jaw. Bill turned back around in the aftermath of the blow and Maryann tried to slide away. Bill whipped out a hand a crunched her arm back against the wall. There was the sound of a bone snapping and Eggs leapt up from the table finally snapping out of the paralysis of shock.

He grabbed Bill's arm trying to make him let go of Maryann. "Get off of her you crazy vampire!"

Bill flung him backwards and he hit the old fashioned refrigerator that stood on the other side of the kitchen. His head hit with a crack and his unconscious body fell to the floor.

"Bill! Stop it this instant!" Sookie shouted.

Tara was on the floor next to Eggs, "Oh my fuckin' god! He's bleeding."

"Bill look what you've done! Let Maryann go." Sookie ordered with her hands on her hips.

"But Sookie!" Bill pleaded. "She smells just like that thing that attacked you in the woods!"

Sookie just stared at her crazy boyfriend, "Bill. She doesn't have six inch claws – how the heck could she have attacked me like that monster did?" Sookie was now red in the face from screaming, "I almost died that night, don't make up excuses for my benefit!"

The tears started streaming down her face and she saw the blood staining the rag that Tara was holding to Egg's head to keep pressure. It was just too much. She thought about finding Gran lying there in a pool of blood and having to sit and clean it and the aftermath of everything that Rene Lenier had done. She wasn't going to have another murder in her house.

"No more bloodshed." She said quietly but dangerously. Her face was streaked with mascara. "You attacked an innocent woman in my home. For all your talk about Eric and Godric being bloodthirsty, its obvious that you are more interested in killing and maiming then they ever would be. At least they didn't try to kill my best friend's boyfriend and their guest. _They_ are trying to make peace!"

"Bill Compton, I rescind your invitation!"

***

(Shocking but perhaps not unexpected! – Please review! It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Not mine! Enjoy!

**Chapter 3**

Bill was horrified as she spoke those words, "But Sookie!" He could feel an unseen force trying to pull him out the kitchen door.

"No buts Bill Compton! I mean it." Sookie's voice was cold and unfeeling but he could still see the tears running down her face. Maryann fell as he removed his hand from her arm. She cradled her broken arm and sank to the floor looking triumphant. A broken arm was worth it if it left this house unprotected. It would make her next task so much easier. And now Sookie was on her side. Bill and Sookie continued arguing as Bill was forced towards the door.

"Sookie, I was just trying to protect you."

"From a harmless woman." Sookie was contemptuous, "There was nothing to protect me from, you just injured two innocent people."

"But Sookie," Bill was now in the doorframe, "She smelled…"

"I don't care if she smelled like fresh roses or like last weeks dirty laundry. I don't even care if she ate every last piece of pie. All I **do** know is that you have injured two people, one of them is Tara's boyfriend, who I now have to drive to the emergency room." And with that Sookie pushed Bill out onto the porch and slammed the door shut tight.

***

In Shreveport, Eric sat on his chair surveying the crowd at Fangtasia that evening. It was mostly regulars, a few brave tourists and a couple of new wannabe fangbangers. Eric sneered as one of them attempted to approach his throne. The girl was quickly hauled off by one of the bouncers. Eric didn't care about any of these pitiful humans anymore except for one.

His hands counted out the rhythms of the bass line and he thought about the sweet yet stubborn Sookie Stackhouse. He just couldn't get the girl out of his head.

He remembered the first night she had come into Fangtasia. The red and white dress that made her stand out; an angel in a crowd of demons dressed all in black. She had a firm look in her eye and had not taken any gruff from Long Shanks. He had noticed her the moment she walked in but his distaste for Bill had kept him from calling her to his side immediately.

He and Bill had a brief run in together during the turn of the century. Lorena had brought young Bill to Paris to show him how the European vampires feasted. Eric and Pam had joined them and they had traveled as a pair of couples touring the continent. Bill had been vicious at times, spilling blood left and right without a thought for the lives being taken; then at the next turn become cowardly, refusing to kill or even drink from humans. It has been annoying at its best and nearly dire several times. Eric was not pleased to see the "mainstream" vampire again.

But he had Sookie, it was something he couldn't overlook. If only he had found her first.

Initially he had thought that she would be perfect to work for the vampires, reading minds and gaining information to advance Eric; perhaps even make him King of Louisiana one day. But then he saw how smart and headstrong she was; he hadn't fallen in love in centuries but the pangs were as familiar as if they had happened yesterday.

He remembered standing there in the basement of The Fellowship of the Sun and enjoying her closeness, the racing of her heart as she hurriedly buttoned her dress back up. If not for Godric he may have tried to glamour her. But glamours didn't work on Miss Stackhouse anyway.

Eric pondered to himself, drowning out the noise of the crowded bar. His facial expression was blank yet imperious, he still looked like the same blond vampire Sheriff that he usually was. But now instead of wondering about how to block the taste of that hideous synthetic blood, he was thinking about her ringlets and her skin and her voice. The smart ass words that came out of her mouth were refreshing for the thousand year old vampire. Not many people have the balls or the stupidity to talk back so brazenly to a vampire, especially one as old as he.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and he whipped around snarling at whoever had snuck up on him. It was Pam, she raised her eyebrow at his reaction.

"I'm not the Fellowship." She said dryly.

"What is it?" His face returning to its cold mask.

"Telephone for you."

"I'm busy." He crossed his arms and started into the sea of people at his feet.

"It's Bill Compton." Pam said, making it sound like an everyday occurrence.

"What?" snapped Eric, his eyes wide.

"He's holding on line one in your office." Pam smirked as she watched Eric stand abruptly and walk quickly to his office at the back of the club. The old Eric never would have jumped at a call from the likes of Bill Compton. But times certainly had changed since Sookie Stackhouse had walked into their club.

"Bill?" Eric tried not to let his worry show in his voice.

"Eric," Bill evidently didn't feel the same, his concern radiated down the line, "Eric, Sookie is in trouble. I need your help."

Eric knew that Bill wouldn't ask unless it was serious, "Of course I will help… protect my investment." Eric added the last part in not wanting Bill to know how strongly he felt about Sookie. He hated calling her that. "What has happened?"

"Remember when she was injured and I brought her to Fangtasia?"

"Yes." Eric had been horrified when Bill had carried Sookie in with her back bleeding. He waited to see where this was going.

"And remember that scent Pam, Chow and I smelled at the scene? It was distinct, something we had never smelled before."

Eric immediately agreed, "Yes Bill, get on with it."

"Well, I smelled it tonight," Bill paused, "in Sookie's house."

"What?" Eric was immediately worried, was Sookie alright?

"On a woman who is a friend of Sookie's best friend Tara." Bill quickly continued.

"What did you tell Sookie? Does she know?" Eric was hoping that everything was okay.

"Well yes, Sookie knows." Bill hesitated, like he didn't want to say what came next, Eric's heart would have stopped if it had been beating. "Because I attacked the woman."

Eric was shocked. Bill had openly attacked a woman, in front of Sookie. "You attacked her?"

"Yes." Bill's voice was now lifeless and stilted, "I broke her wrist and inadvertently injured Tara's boyfriend. I need you to protect Sookie."

"Yes, I understand, the Magister will want to speak to you regarding your actions. Attacking humans in front of witnesses is hardly allowed."

Bill interrupted Sheriff Eric. "She rescinded my invitation."

That stopped Eric in his tracks. This was news he had to hear again. "She rescinded your invitation..." He could hear Bill pause and then say bitterly, "Yes."

Eric couldn't believe his luck. "So now you need me to keep her safe since she wont let you near her."

"Yes, please Eric, I wouldn't ask if it wasn't serious. I need to find out more about this Maryann woman and who or what she is. And why she would want to hurt Sookie."

"I'll be there as soon as I can." Eric hung up the phone and shouted loudly in Swedish. Here was his way in, this was how he could show Sookie that he loved her. He would protect her and prove himself better than Bill.

He would win her heart.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: YAY! It's finally here! A little Eric/Sookie interaction! I know you've been waiting for it so PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks

**CHAPTER 4**

It had been a long night in the emergency room. Sookie had driven Eggs, Tara and Maryann to the hospital in Shreveport. Bon Temps had a doctor's office but Egg's head wound plus the fact that it was the dead of night had prompted Sookie to put all of them in the car.

Eggs had woken up on the way there and had seemed fairly lucid, but the doctors had wanted to do a CAT scan and keep him overnight. Tara had stayed by his side since the accident and Sookie couldn't see her detaching herself anytime soon. Maryann had been quiet most of the ride, holding her wrist. She had called someone and asked them to come get her at the hospital. After Eggs had been admitted to the trauma ward, a nurse had looked at Maryann's wrist. The nurse told her that it was a bad sprain and she needed a sling, but that was it. Sookie was surprised, she had been certain that she had heard it snap but perhaps not. Tara had rushed into the waiting room saying that Eggs was going for his CAT scan and Sookie had pushed thoughts of Maryann from her mind.

Maryann had gotten picked up soon after her exam by an Asian man who escorted her quickly out of the ER. Sookie was left sitting alone looking at back issues of Good Housekeeping. She was doing everything she could to keep Bill out of her mind.

Tara had sent her home after a bit and told her to get some rest. Sookie had protested but Tara had been firm.

So now Sookie sat on her sofa wrapped up in a blanket that Gran had made when she was little. She wasn't cold but the blanket made her feel safe. Part of her missed Bill but she dismissed that thought as she thought about the pool of blood on the kitchen floor.

As the tears streamed down her face she heard a knock on her door. The only person she could think of who would be calling on her at 4:45 in the morning was Bill so she shouted, "Go away! I don't want to see your face ever again Bill Compton!"

"Well I wouldn't want to see his face either, if I was you." The voice was smooth, silky, and decidedly male. "May I come in Sookie?"

Sookie stood up wrapping the blanket more firmly around her shoulders. She walked to the door and opened it; there was a blond, 6' 4" man who tried to save her from The Fellowship without spilling a drop of blood; unlike some people she knew. And while he may not have always been a gentleman around her, seeing him in the doorway somehow made her feel much safer than she had only moments before.

She must have been staring because he smirked and said, "Well Miss Stackhouse?"

Sookie shook her head, the tears on her face starting to dry, "Of course Eric, I'm glad you are here, please come in."

The tall vampire stepped into the foyer and Sookie shut the door behind him. He looked around, taking in the antique carpet and the faded draperies. Eric could see Sookie's influences here and there but he suspected the house was much like it was before her grandmother had died. He turned and smiled at Sookie, drinking in the sight of her. She was a mess, with her hair half shoved up in a ponytail and blanket thrown around her shoulders; he loved her anyway.

Sookie grew self conscious at his stare and gasped, "I must look a mess!" She reached up a hand to straighten her hair and rub her tear-stained cheeks. Eric reached out almost unconsciously and pulled her hand away from her face.

The touch of their skin was nearly electric. Sookie felt a warm loving sensation wash over her and she relaxed realizing that Eric must really care for her. She looked up into his eyes; they were fathomless, deep descending pools that wanted to draw her in. Eric was the first to look away.

"Sookie," he started, removing his hand from hers, "I heard what happened."

Sookie turned her gaze from his form and walked slowly back into the living room with Eric on her heels. She sat back on the sofa and Eric took a nearby armchair. Eric knew that her wound was fresh and jumping in headfirst would just get _him_ banished from the house as well.

"Well news certainly travels fast." He couldn't tell if she was upset or just bitter. He thought it might be a little of both.

"Well Bill called me and asked me to check up on you." Eric wasn't sure if that was the right thing to say but at least it was the truth

"Bill asked you to… check up on me?" Sookie's voice started to go shrill from emotion and exhaustion. Eric quickly interrupted "To make sure everyone was okay, and to protect you."

"Protect me from what!" Sookie's voice as flat and disbelieving, "Fine, Well?" She stood and spun in a circle. The blanket fell to the floor revealing her in a short bathrobe. "I'm fine, if not a little tired." She sat back down "So now you know."

Eric had always liked it when she tried to sass him, "Well I couldn't exactly see all of you." He said suggestively.

"Eric, what are you really doing here?" Sookie stared him straight in the eye, "I am exhausted, I still have blood all over my kitchen floor and I now have a tall blond vampire sitting in my living room. What is going on?"

Eric attempted to deflect the question, "So you like tall blonds. That's good to know." He straightened himself on the chair becoming tall and imposing, even while sitting.

Sookie looked down at the sofa picking at the cording on the cushion where it had begun to fray. Any other time she would have laughed at his antics. But she was too tired for this. Eric sensed how overwhelmed she felt and threw off the act, "Honestly Sookie, I'm here to take care of you and protect you if need be. But until that time comes I suppose I should send you to bed, you look worn out."

"But what about the kitchen?" Sookie protested, not wanting to walk into the kitchen the next morning and find it still covered in blood.

Eric stood and walked over to her. Standing over top of her small form, he offered her a hand. Taking it, Sookie stood up. Then without warning Eric swung her up into his strong arms with the ease and dexterity of a millennia old vampire who had done this before. Sookie squeaked in protest but Eric held her tight.

"I shall tend to the kitchen." He whispered softly in her ear. Then he began to climb the stairs as Sookie lay comfortably against his chest, its lack of movement didn't bother her, and it was strangely comforting. She closed her eyes and started to drift off.

"He smells good" she thought to herself and slipped further towards sleep.

Eric did not want to let go of her as he stood beside her bed. He wanted to hold this amazing woman till the sun came up. Reluctantly, he placed her in bed and covered her body with her comforter. Everything in the room smelled like her and he could have spent days with his eyes closed just enjoying that smell.

Sookie rolled over in bed and curled up in a ball. She looked beautiful with her hair fanning out across her pillow. Eric leaned down and kissed the sleeping girl on the cheek.

A smile came to her face and she murmured, "Bill."

Eric thought a stake had been plunged through his heart. Smoothing her hair back from her face once again, Eric left the room to go clean up the kitchen.

As he closed the bedroom door with a soft click, Sookie woke just long enough to realize where she was. A thought of Bill flashed through her mind and then was gone. Sookie lie in bed and feel back asleep thinking about the blond and handsome vampire who was currently on his knees…

...scrubbing the kitchen floor.

(lol. If you liked – you should review [and if it's a long review then I'll even write you back!])


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Characters arent mine. Just the idea

**CHAPTER 5**

Eric wasn't one to do manual labor very often. As Sheriff of Area 5 he had luxuries other could only dream of. Still here he was up to his arms in warm soapy water cleaning the small pool of blood off Sookie's flood.

He had volunteered for cleaning detail for multiple reasons. One, it would put him in Sookie's good graces; two, it let him linger in her house, savoring being close to her; and three, he would get a chance to search for clues about this mysterious woman.

The blood on the floor was obviously male and it overpowered all the other scents in the room. As the tangy sweet smell was replaced with lemon-fresh Pine Sol, Eric could smell something else. He looked up at the wall and saw a tiny smear of blood. He stood and looked at it carefully. He wanted to imprint these images firmly in his mind.

He sniffed the air and found the deliciously mysterious scent; the one Bill, Pam and Chow had mentioned. Then he reached out a finger and touched the smear; then licked his finger. It looked like blood but it sure didn't taste like blood.

The taste was earthy and full of energy. It had a supernatural tinge to it, more than any supernatural had and nothing like how Eric imagined Sookie tasted. It was primeval and took him back to his first great hunt when he transitioned from boy to man. It had been over a thousand years ago but now with this blood on his tongue he could sense the forest around him, the elation at killing the wild boar, the heat from the crackling bonfire, and the taste of sweat, his own sweat – untasted in a millennia, as he made love to his wife for the first time.

He jolted back into the 21st century and stared at the red mark on the wall.

What was this thing?

***

After cleaning Sookie's kitchen, Eric knew he needed to talk to Bill. He checked on Sookie one more time. She sighed in her sleep and rolled to the other side of the bed. Eric wished he could simply slide into bed with her and be done with all of this nonsense. To feel her skin against his and her lips on his… He stood there day dreaming for a moment and almost walked into the room. Instead, he smiled and went back downstairs and out of the front door. Getting in the Corvette, Eric dialed Bill's number on his cell phone. After three rings Bill answered,

"Yes?" Bill had always been short and abrupt.

"Bill, I'm just leaving Sookie's. We need to talk." Eric put the car in gear and pulled of Sookie's driveway.

Bill sighed on the other line, "Yes, I suppose that is best." The phone cut off with a click, and Erick sped towards the Compton house.

The two vampires stared warily at each other. Bill handed Eric a TrueBlood and they both began to sip the synthetic liquid.

"Sookie is fine," Erick knew that he had to control the situation, either by status or by knowledge. "But she doesn't believe you about this woman."

"Maryann." Bill said flatly, "Her name is Maryann."

"Maryann," Eric whispered finally being able to put a name to a taste. It was obvious that Bill hadn't tasted her.

Eric said, "I searched the kitchen once I put Sookie to bed." Bill's eyes flashed in annoyance wondering how Eric had ingratiated himself with Sookie so quickly. Eric was pleased to be getting under the young vampire's skin. Bill should know that his superiors would always get what they wanted.

Eric continued, "You broke her skin."

Bill blinked in mild surprise. "There was blood?"

"Her blood is like nothing I've tasted before." Eric explained that it had brought something feral and animal-like out in him; more than just a human's blood would. He had to figure out what this thing was; it was driving him crazy. Surprisingly, just thinking about her blood now made him crave more. This worried Eric, it was unlike him to have so little control. It was like the simple drop of blood had been a drop of chaos infiltrating his circulatory system.

There weren't very many things left that he hadn't encountered before. Eric disliked being at a disadvantage.

"What is she?" asked Bill.

"I'm not entirely sure; part supernatural part demon?" Eric pondered then looked Bill straight in the eyes, "But whatever she is, it needs to be handled quickly and efficiently."

"And Sookie?" Bill's voice grew warmer when he spoke of her.

Eric wanted to reply she should be done quickly and efficiently as well but he knew Bill would skin him alive, "I will watch over her." Bill looked doubtful so Eric continued, "And I will have some associates come to town who can watch her when I am unable."

Bill looked surprisingly relieved, he nodded gravely and then said begrudgingly "I am in your debt Eric Northman."

Eric smiled knowingly, this is what he had been hoping for. Bill in his debt meant that he had one more piece that would one day allow him to claim Sookie as his own entirely. He acquiesced his head to the younger vampire.

"We need to find out more about this Maryann, but it will have to wait until tomorrow night." Erick looked at the antique grandfather clock that stood in the corner of the old living room.

Bill caught his meaning and being the Southern gentleman said, "Yes, of course. May I offer you a place to stay for the day?"

"Yes, you may." Eric replied.

Bill continued grimacing a bit, "Although I apologize, it may be a tight fit. Jessica will be home any moment and my accommodations are hardly built to house so many."

Eric hid the distaste that threatened his face and said, "Ah yes. Well, I'm sure it will be adequate."

The two vampires headed towards Bill's resting place during the daylight hours not looking forward to spending so much time in bed together. Eric last thought before he fell asleep was, "You better be worth it Sookie."

A/N: So this wasnt a very exciting chapter. But it was necessary. Anyway, I rewrote the end of this chapter a couple times. It just wasn't working. Im still not completely happy with it but that's okay because I have broken my writers block. The last 2 days I haven't been able to write anything. However after 3000+ words tonight We have this chapter and the next one (which might get broken into two chapters its so long). Any comments or suggestions would be much appreciated! Thanks for reading and please keep reviewing (It makes me so happy!!!)

xoxo

belleartiste


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Not mine. Just the story idea. **

**Thanks to vmp1, ericsmine, EricJacobLover, Christina S, iheartredbull and everyone else for awesome reviews! Keep them coming. To Anigen – here is your longer chapter (it may be the only time it happens – enjoy it!)**

**CHAPTER 6**

Sookie woke up the next morning with the sun shining on her face. The white lace edged curtains had not been completely closed the night before and Sookie rolled over and hid her head under the pillow. Just 10 more minutes, that was all she needed. The comforter with the pink flower pattern felt cool against her skin, warm from sleep, and she wished that she were waking up next to… Eric?

Her mind had immediately flashed to the blond vampire who had carried her gently up to bed the night before. He had been so careful with her and so much kinder than she thought he'd be.

But what about Bill? An image of her dark brooding vampire lover filled her brain and she tried to take comfort in the idea of him. He was her first love, the man who had taken her virginity and her heart. But he was also the man who had viciously attacked two people in her house and spilled blood all over kitchen, a place that already had too many bad memories without him adding to the pile.

Sookie finally removed the pillow from her eyes and stared up at the ceiling, looking at the patterns of light that flooded the room. There was a tiny crack in the plaster and Sookie's eyes followed it to where it touched the edge of the light. This was something she would never share with Bill, and much less Eric. There would be no lazy mornings lying in bed enjoying the warmth of the sunlight. Not unless she wanted them to catch on fire and disintegrate into nothingness.

Eric came back to the front of her brain. He was quite the contradiction. Sookie had always thought of him as the tough Sheriff, owner of Fangtasia and simply interested in looking out for number one. But then when that beast had injured her several weeks ago, Eric had found a doctor, and had helped cure her. And when in the basement at the Fellowship of the Sun a couple days ago, she had felt the concern radiating from him after he saw Gabe's lifeless body on the floor. It was as if he cared if Sookie had been raped or not.

What had hurt her the most was Bill's absence during the Fellowship of the Sun disaster. She had been trapped underground for almost a whole day and Bill had not come to save her. It was Eric who had appeared at the door.

Groaning and rolling out of bed she could feel a headache starting just thinking about it. A shower and a cup of coffee would help. She had to be at Merlotte's this afternoon and Sookie still needed to clean the kitchen. Unless Eric had actually done the cleaning, which Sookie didn't believe for a second.

***

After her shower, Sookie wrapped her hair in a towel and walked downstairs to start the coffeemaker. She paused in the doorway and surveyed the spotless kitchen. There was not a trace of blood to be found and she smelled the faint scent of Pine-Sol in the air. Eric was good to his word. Sookie was impressed. It wasn't every day you met a man who could sweep you off your feet, as well as the kitchen floor.

Sookie's morning was full of everyday things. She did laundry, washed the few dishes left in the sink and vacuumed the living room. She called Tara to check on Eggs and found out that he was fine, but they were stuck in the hospital till mid afternoon. Something about continual observation on Egg's head wound. Sookie was about to apologize for not being able to come pick them up but then Tara said,

"Maryann is going to come get us."

"Is she okay?" Sookie wondered about the woman's wrist, hoping she wasn't in too much pain.

"She says she's feeling great." Tara's voice seemed far away, like Shreveport was on another planet. "She is sending her assistant Karl to pick us up."

Sookie imagined that Karl was the Asian man who had appeared at the hospital to pick up Maryann the night before. "What was it like to have your own personal butler/driver?" Sookie wondered to herself.

"Well tell Eggs I hope he feels better and that I'm so sorry." Sookie intoned.

"This is what happens when you hang around vamps Sookie, you need to stick with human friends from now on girl." Tara was very opinionated when it came to vampires and Bill until this point had been the exception to the rule. Obviously, that wasn't how it worked anymore.

"I'll hang around who I want Tara Thornton." Sookie was a bit overzealous but she didn't like people telling her what to do.

"I'm just saying." Tara paused and Sookie could hear Egg's deep voice on the other end saying something to Tara. Tara came back on the line, "Sorry Sook, I gotta help Egg's find something to eat besides Jell-O. We'll talk more about this later."

"Yeah Tara." Sookie shook her head in disagreement. "Talk to you later."

"Bye Sook." and Tara hung up.

Sookie couldn't believe her friend's prejudice, but then again, her boyfriend had just nearly died because of a vamp. A vamp that was trying to kill a woman they hardly knew. Sookie still didn't understand why he had attacked Maryann. It just didn't make sense. He had been yelling something about the way she smelled but she had no idea what that had to do with anything. However, being the curious, Sookie figured she could ask around about Maryann at work tonight. She slipped on her Merlotte's shirt and the black shorts that completed her outfit and grabbed a ponytail holder. Heading down the stairs she pulled her hair back from her face and ran out the door.

**

Merlotte's had been busy all afternoon and into early evening. It was a Saturday and the crowd seemed a little bit more rowdy than usual and Sam had already sent two of their regulars home for being a little too excited over their beers. Sookie had been running tables all night. It was just her and Arlene and it had been tough keeping up with all the tables.

About 8PM the dinner crowd started thinning out and they all got to breathe. Sookie had been wiping down one of the booths when Sam came up and touched her shoulder. Looking up at her boss, he said, "You're cut."

"Oh thank God Sam." Sookie wiped the back of her hand against her forehead. "I'm beat. Tonight was just rough."

Sam smiled his signature smile and his eyes crinkled happily. "These nights happen Sook." He turned and headed back towards the bar. Sam called over his shoulder, "And we just have to roll with it."

"Yeah, that's about right." Sookie finished wiping the table and walked across the room. She threw the rag down in a basin full of sanitizing water and leaned against the bar. "So Sam, can I ask you a question?"

Sam was pouring a beer for Andy Bellefleur who sat, fairly sloshed, at the bar with a few other patrons. "Yeah Sookie, what's up?"

"What do you know about that Maryann woman?"

It seemed like an innocent question yet Sookie could feel dark red flashing through Sam's mind. Anger, fear and extreme hate. She was taken aback, what could make Sam feel this way?

His voice was bitter and cold, "Stay away from her."

"What happened Sam?" Sookie was both curious and concerned.

"It doesn't matter." Sam held her gaze for a moment and then dropped his eyes and wiped the bar counter with a rag.

"Why should I stay away then?" Sookie put her hands on her hips hoping that this tactic would get an answer out of Sam Merlotte.

"Maryann is trouble. Trouble that not even a vampire could deal with." Sam seemed so certain. Sookie tried to read his mind in an attempt to figure out what was going on, but Sam's shifter brain was full of swirling colors, reds, maroons and blacks that cut out any reasonable thought. As Sookie lowered her shields she could hear Andy Bellefleur thinking, _"That woman is insane. She and that damn pig. Damn pig. Got me into all this trouble. Drinking. That's all I'm good for anymore; nobody believes anything I say."_

Sookie caught a glimpse of a giant hog with bristles down its back, naked people dancing in the woods, and a woman who was dancing and then shaking faster than the human eye could see. It was Maryann.

Sookie would have asked Andy a couple questions if his sister Portia hadn't walked into the bar just that moment. Andy's mind immediately went from crazy woman with a pig to how angry his sister was going to be once they got in the car. Sookie put her shields back up and smiled kindly at Portia and Andy she helped him from the bar. Portia sneered at her, despising Sookie just for the sake of despising her.

The pair left the bar and Sookie turned back to Sam, "Good thing I have more than one vampire on my side." Sam eyes grew wide, but Sookie kept talking, "And they could take down anything that came for me."

"Sookie, that's not the point. Maryann is dangerous!" Sam's eyes were furious and he stared daggers at her willing her to not be stubborn. But Sookie stared right back, "Then what Sam? Are you telling me I should stay out of it? Be a good little girl? Obey orders?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Sam said through gritted teeth. He knew that she was angry but he didn't care.

Swishing her hair over her shoulder, Sookie turned and walked towards the back. "You can't tell me what I could do!"

No one told Sookie Stackhouse what to do.

She pushed open the back door and walked out into the night. She had grabbed her purse and she fumbled inside it for her keys. She muttered to herself, "Stupid men. Always sticking their noses in. No one tells me what to do."

"No one?"

The silky voice with a seductive tone came out of the shadows next to her car. Sitting against her hood was Eric. He was wearing a pair of tight black jeans and a black muscle shirt. He looked like a god perched there and Sookie stared. Eric certainly knew just how to turn a girl on.

Eric repeated his question with the slightest leer in his voice, "No one tells you what to do?" He was mocking her.

"That's right!" Sookie tried to be firm, but the words seemed slightly comical as they left her mouth. Sookie flashed back to her early morning thoughts, how Eric was deeper and warmer than his cold persona. As she thought about this, Eric crossed the remaining distance between them. He grabbed her around the waist and held her tight against his chest.

Sookie gasped at his touch and then reveled in the pleasant feeling that was spreading between her legs. Eric looked her straight in the eyes and said, "And what if I told you to kiss me?"

Sookie involuntarily licked her lips in anticipation and looked up into Eric's dark eyes. His hair fell forward into his face as he leaned down, his face just above hers. She could feel the hard muscles under his shirt and part of her wished that she could see them and not just feel them. Eric brushed a stray piece of hair out of her face and smiled at her. He had started to show a little bit of fang and it was obvious he was aroused.

Eric took her silence as assent and he tipped her head up towards his. Just as their lips where about to touch there was a flash of movement and Bill pulled Sookie out of Eric's grip. Eric hissed in annoyance. She opened her eyes and saw Bill standing there holding her wrist.

"Sookie!" Bill's indignant tone brought back all of Sookie's anger. Redirecting it from Sam to Bill was easy and Sookie slapped Bill hard across the face.

"Sookie, what is going on?" Her feeble blow hadn't injured Bill but he wondered why her eyes radiated such fury.

"It's none of your business Bill Compton!" Sookie was almost shaking in rage. Eric watched the couple as this drama unfolded. He hoped it would end in his favor.

"Like hell it is Sookie," Bill was becoming angrier and angrier, "why were you about to kiss Eric?"

Sookie didn't really have an answer, but he knew what would hurt Bill more than anything, "I was kissing him, because I feel safe around him. Unlike you." She wrenched her hand out of his grasp and stalked back to her car and tried to open the door. Bill was there in a millisecond and held the door shut. "What does that mean Sookie?" Bill's voice was becoming dangerously soft and Eric wondered if he should let the pair sort this out by themselves. But before Eric could try to make a hasty exit, Bill spoke again.

"Unlike me?" Bill laughed hoarsely, "Eric is one of the most bloodthirsty vampires in this area; and you think you are safer with him than you are with me."

"He's been there when you haven't." Sookie was spitting mad now. "He saved me from the Fellowship of the Sun; and he certainly didn't try to kill a crazy woman in my house. Right on the spot where my grandmother was murdered."

Eric's eyebrows shot up at this announcement, he had known that Sookie's grandmother had passed but he had no idea that Bill had attacked the demon woman on the same spot. That was rich. No wonder Sookie was so furious. Bill had made her relive part of her grandmother's murder. It seemed that Bill hadn't realized that either and he stood stock-still and let go of Sookie.

"I apologize Sookie. Please accept my apology and allow me to come back to your house and protect you." Bill sounded properly contrite but Sookie shook her head. "No Bill, I don't want to see you anymore. It really is over."

***

WHEW!!! Hope you guys enjoyed that. I expect good long review pretty please! It may be a couple days before the next chapter is up but I promise there will be another one soon.

xoxo

belleartiste


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Okay sorry this took so long to update. I wrote FOUR versions of this chapter. The characters didn't want to do what I wanted. So I gave in to them. Thanks to CJ for helping me with my writers block and iheartredbull for sending me the PM – So sweet to worry about little old me! Please enjoy! and as always REVIEW! :D**

PS - This chap is like 2 chapters in 1 - EXTRA LONG! Thanks for waiting!

PPS - Still no beta. I apologize for errors

**CHAPTER 7**

Maryann stood in her new kitchen eating a plump strawberry. The flesh of the fruit gave as she bit into it, the red juice sliding both into her mouth, and down her fingers. Gnawing the last bit of edible meat from around the stem, she threw the green top in the trash and began to lick her sticky fingers clean.

She savored every drop and watched out the window as a car pulled up in the driveway.

"It's about time that Karl got home with Tara and Eggs." She thought to herself.

The house was dry without their energy and Maryann had been on edge for the last hour waiting for them to get home. She craved their emotions.

Walking to the front door, she greeted with open arms. Her long purple dress flowed over her body like a robe and she looked majestic standing there. Tara came in first followed by Eggs.

"Welcome home you two!" Maryann already felt better.

"Hey Maryann." Tara seemed a little tired. She had bags under her eyes and walked without her usual determination. Eggs echoed Tara's statement and stopped in the foyer admiring the new house.

"Very nice Maryann!" He said.

"You like?" Maryann twirled showing off the house. She was pleased to see him so lively. "I thought it was simply perfect. Especially, for having parties. She smiled devilishly.

Tara looked around the grand space. There was enough room in the foyer and adjoining living room to fit all of Merlotte's inside. The furniture was antebellum style and it had a nice old world style while remaining comfortable. She was impressed.

"Well I guess it's a good thing you like throwing parties."

"You know it girl! In fact, I was thinking we could have a little get together to celebrate. What do you think?"

"Celebrate what?" Eggs asked. Karl slipped in the door with Tara's small overnight bag and headed upstairs.

"Yeah Maryann, what kind of party?" Tara was interested. Maryann smiled, she knew that girl loved to party.

"Well I thought it would appropriate to have a housewarming/ get well party." Maryann was tickled with her own idea. This was the perfect way to get Sookie Stackhouse within her grasp. She has already marked Sookie and to tear her away from those arrogant vampires would be more fun than slaughtering the whole town. But hey, why not do both?

"So when's this bash?" Asked Eggs.

"Well," Maryann was hopeful, looking at the pair of them with shining innocent eyes that she had spent centuries perfecting, "I was thinking tomorrow night. That way you are both rested after your terrible ordeal. And it gives Karl enough time to prepare all the food."

"Sounds great Maryann, you know everyone loves your parties." Tara beamed at the woman.

"Of course people love my parties! It's what I do." Maryann paused momentarily; it was time for her to set her plan in action. "Oh Tara, why not invite your friend Sookie. I want to show her there's no hard feelings."

"Sure Maryann, that sounds like a great idea." Tara had just been thinking the same thing. She was glad Maryann thought it was a good idea.

"How's your wrist?" Asked Eggs catching Maryann off guard. Tara had obviously told him what had happened after he had been knocked unconscious.

"Oh my wrist?" Maryann pulled back the sleeve of her dress to show a naked arm, free of any cast or brace. "All better! The doctor said something about it just being a sprain, nothing to worry about."

In actuality, the writs had snapped causing a compound fracture. Maryann was just a "fast healer'. It has been practically fine by the time they had reached the hospital but Maryann had played along for Sookie's benefit.

After exclaiming how glad they were that Maryann was okay, the couple headed to bed. They would need their sleep for tomorrow's party.

***

Back outside Merlotte's, Bill stared at Sookie for a moment and then vanished. He had run so fast that it looked like he had simply disappeared. Sookie bit her lip uncertain what to say to Eric. She opted to say nothing and simply pushed past Eric and get in her car. Tears were streaming down her face and all she could think about was Bill and that she just wanted to get in the shower and forget about the real world for a while.

Eric stood and watched her go. As she drove off, he kicked himself for not making a move; but her tears had paralyzed him. After 1000 years, he still didn't know how to deal with crying females.

Instead he left the parking lot and flew to Maryann's house. Now that he has tasted her blood, he could smell her scent covering the whole town. Whatever she was, she had this town soaked in her essence. Eric knew that he had to figure out what she was, and fast.

The house was a mansion. Built in the plantation style, the front porch was held up by a colonnade of two story columns. Eric thought that Bill would be more comfortable in a house like this than a demon woman from who knows where or when. But nevertheless, this is where she had made her home.

Eric watched as Sookie's friend Tara, the bartender, and a man, Eric assumed this was the boyfriend Eggs, out of a car and into the house. He was too far away to hear their conversation and he knew he would never garner an invitation to come inside for a listen.

Pretty soon all the lights went off except in the downstairs. Eric circled the house to see if he could learn more. The lights were coming from a large kitchen. Looking through the windows, he could see an Asian man cutting fruits and vegetables making a huge table full. The only thing Eric could assume from this was that they either ate like pigs in the morning or there were going to be a lot more people joining them

Suddenly, a porch door opened and someone stepped outside. Eric faded into the shadows and watched carefully. It was a female with a long purple dress and dark hair. "That must be Maryann." Eric thought to himself.

Maryann scanned the backyard as if she sensed something out there. Then she called out, "Vampire!" Eric was shocked, how did she know that he was there? She must have heightened senses. What was she?

Not responding, he waited to see if she said anything else. He wasn't disappointed.

"I know you're there and I know you can here me." She called out pacing the long pavilion. "Why don't you come out and play." She paused waiting for a response and not receiving one she continued, "This is my town now. I am older than you, stronger than you, and I will kill anything that gets in my way." She laughed and kept going, "The humans here are so perfect for my needs. They are full of chaos and dark desires. Easily manipulated and some of the best party goers I've seen since Greece!"

Eric knew that this was serious. It sounded like she was going to bring the whole town down around her, and just for spite. He had to get Sookie out of here. But Maryann hadn't quite finished her rant.

"Do not think that you can protect the girl. I have already marked her as one of my own. Leave and accept your defeat." She then swung on her heel and walked back into the house, slamming the door behind her.

Eric was furious. This was _**his **_area. He was the Sheriff. How could such a creature enter without his knowledge or permission? And she dared to claim the woman that he loved, Eric wanted to tear the house down to get at this woman but he knew that it would take time and careful planning. Growling furiously, Eric left the house and headed back towards Shreveport. Pam would help him research this thing and develop a battle plan. Right now, he needed to figure out what she was, how he would kill her and how he was going to protect Sookie.

The next day was an average sort of day. Sookie got up, ate breakfast, went to work, got food spilled on her, and came home. There was no surprises, no drama. Sookie realized this was what life had been before the night that Bill walked into the bar.

She wouldn't have changed that night for the world.

And now here she was, sitting at home, about to head out and tan. There was a little bit of summer left and Sookie wanted to soak up that sunlight. She grabbed a bottle of water and the cordless phone and plopped herself down on the lawn chair. It was nice to have some time for herself.

The sun was warm and Sookie basked like a lizard, soaking in all the heat and light. She let her mind drift and had almost fallen asleep when the phone rang. Picking it up, she answered, "Hello?"

"Hi Sookie!" It was Tara. Sookie was glad to hear from her best friend.

"Hey Tara, where are you?" Sookie leaned back on the lounge chair and twirled a piece of hair.

"At Maryann's." Tara knew that Sookie would rather have her at her house, but she didn't' want to leave Eggs just yet.

"I wanted to let you know we're having a party tonight. You're invited."

"Aw, thanks Tara, but I'm not sure I want to come. Wont it be awkward because of the whole Bill thing?" Sookie didn't want to step on any toes.

"Nah, Maryann was the one who suggested it. She wants to let you know there's no hard feelings. The party is a get well/housewarming party so it makes total sense for you to come." Tara paused and then said, "Everyone will be there!"

Sookie laughed, "Everyone?!"

The two girls continued laughing and Sookie could tell her friend really wanted her to come.

"Oh fine." She said and Tara squealed in delight. Then she stopped, "Sookie," Tara sounded hesitant and Sookie wondered what was the matter, "Don't bring Bill."

"Not a problem." Sookie said matter-of-factly, "I broke up with him."

"Oh Sookie!" Tara breathed into the phone, "I'm sorry!"

"No, I'm sorry." Sookie replied, "I'm sorry that Bill acted so badly and that Maryann and Eggs got hurt."

"It's alright." Said Tara softly and Sookie knew without even reading her mind that she was glad that she and Bill had broken up.

Sookie sighed, "So what time is this little get together?"

"Starts at 9. Wear something cute!" Tara added.

"Don't I always?" Sookie joked.

"See you there."

"Bye Tara."

Sookie hung up the phone and ran upstairs. She had to find something cute to wear to the party tonight. It wasn't a fancy party so Sookie ignored the little bit of satin and sparkle clothing she owned and instead picked out a cute low cut square necked peasant top. It was white with embroidered flowers. And to match was a short denim skirt. Casual but super cute. It was perfect. Then Sookie dried her hair and put on a little eyeliner. She never needed much makeup; her skin had always been relatively smooth. Since meeting vampires and drinking their blood, it had been near perfect. The top showed off her tan nicely and the skirt complimented her legs. Sookie looked into the full-length mirror in the corner of the room and was satisfied with what she saw. This would be perfect.

By this point it was ten till 9 and Sookie needed to go. Grabbing her purse off her bed, she headed for the party.

***

Pam stood in Eric's office in brown crocodile skin heels and royal blue shirt-dress. The music from the club was barely audible to human ears but her enhanced hearing heard every word the whiny fangbanger was singing up front. She wanted to go rip out his vocal chords if he kept going much longer. Rubbing her temple she stared at her maker.

"Well?" She said impatiently putting her hands on her hips.

Eric looked up briefly from the piece of paper he was reading and glared at the blond vampire. Then he ignored her and continued reading. Pam rolled her eyes and waited.

"Very interesting." drawled Eric. The piece of paper held the exact information he was looking for.

Pam had spent the last couple hours doing research with some other vampires and they had discovered this gem of information in a book in an ancient house in the French Quarter.

"A maenad." said Eric, "Well, that certainly wasn't what I had expected."

Pam wasn't about to ask what Eric **had** expected, but she tapped her foot on the floor, "So what are you going to do about it?"

"Warn Sookie, and see if she will leave Bon Temps until I can get rid of it." Eric leaned back in his desk chair.

"You think she'll listen?" Pam had met Sookie enough times to know that the blond telepath was stubborn as a mule when she wanted to be.

"She better." Eric was determined to keep her safe, "I'm going to her now. You should expect us home by dawn." And with that he was gone. Pam heard the Corvette rev in the parking lot and she checked her nails to make sure the peach colored polish wasn't chipped. She didn't expect that Sookie would give in as easily as Eric imagined.

The drive from Shreveport has been nice. There were no cops on the road and Eric has done 90 most of the way there. Pulling into Sookie's driveway, he noticed the lights were off inside the house and her car was gone. Perhaps she was working at Merlotte's this evening.

"Well, I guess I'd better check out my competition." Eric put the car in reverse and was soon headed towards the bar.

Merlotte's was fairly crowded but most of the cars in the parking lot were pick-up trucks and road maintenance vehicles. Eric scowled in distaste over the clientele Sookie had to work with. As Eric parked, he noticed a girl coming toward him.

"Nice car." The girl was a brunette, very petite with, Eric being a male had to notice this, big breasts. Any other night he would have wanted a piece of her. But with Sookie in danger and him feeling the way that he did about her, he had to get rid of this girl. He was on a mission. Sookie was his number one priority. He turned to the girl and flashed his fangs in warning. This seemed to stop the girl in her tracks and Eric walked past her stunned form and into the bar.

The patrons were exactly what Eric had suspected; men in their 20s and 30s who looked like they did manual labor for a living. One of them had an orange vest swung over the back of his chair that read "Road Crew". Eric looked around trying to find Sookie, her scent was strong in this place and Eric wondered where they could be hiding her. Just then, a man with brown hair, just graying at the temples came up to him. He was wearing a Merlotte's t-shirt and said, "How can I help you tonight?"

"I'm looking for Sookie." Eric did not want to spend time conversing with this man. He needed to find Sookie.

"She's not here tonight. Who are you?" Eric had assumed the man was a bouncer or a bartender but just then a blonde girl came up and said, "Sam, they need you in the back, and table 10 didn't like the way their burgers Lafayette were cooked."

So this was Sam Merlotte. Sookie had briefly mentioned her boss at some point and Eric had heard a rumor that he was a shifter but, in his haste to find Sookie, hadn't put the two and two together. It was time to put on the charm.

"Eric Northman." He said calmly and inclined his head towards the shorter man.

"Sam Merlotte." At least the man knew vampires didn't shake hands. "You a friend of Bills?"

His wary tone was good. He was someone who wanted to protect Sookie as well. Sam Merlotte rose a step in Eric's estimation.

"In a sense." Eric replied, "I'm the owner of Fangtasia, and Sheriff of Area 5. I'm here to protect Sookie."

Sam's eyes widened. He immediately knew what Sookie needed to be protected from: Maryann. He gave Eric another once over and said, "Come back to my office. We can talk there."

Eric followed Sam feeling the looks he was getting from the bar patrons; they were cautious; except for one. He felt a pull from the kitchen and looked over the window to see a nervous Lafayette staring at him like a deer in the headlights. Eric grinned at him and gave a little wave. Lafayette looked like he was going to pass out any second. Nobody could say that Eric didn't have a sense of humor.

Sam ushered him into his office and shut the door. Offering Eric a seat, he sat behind the desk and stared at the large vampire. Eric declined the seat and stood, knowing that his physical presence would intimidate even the most powerful shifters.

Sam took the intimidation in stride and looked directly at Eric, "Maryann."

"Yes." Eric said curtly. Obviously the shifter knew what they were up against. "If you know she is dangerous then I suppose you are trying to protect Sookie as well."

"That's right. Maryann is more dangerous than any of you vampires."

"Maenads can be that way." said Eric casually.

"Maenad?" Sam was confused.

Eric decided he had better fill the shifter in quickly, "Women who were possessed by the god Bacchus or in the Greek, Dionysus. They were driven mad, made immortal and now they roam the world feeding on the euphoric feelings of humans. This one seems to like driving people mad and killing them as the end result. You ever why Woodstock was so big? Maenads thought it would be a good place to party."

Sam looked surprised but kept his mouth shut.

Eric had paused, he wasn't sure if he wanted to share the next bit of information, "She has already marked Sookie as one of hers."

"What?!" Sam was horrified. "How?"

"Several weeks ago, in the woods. The details are not important." Eric rested his hands on the back of a chair. "I am here to protect Sookie. I'm planning on getting her out of town so that she will not be in harms way when I try to kill the maenad."

Sam looked shocked at all of these revelations. "Why isn't Bill protecting her?"

"They are no longer together." Eric said simply.

A confused look passed over Sam's face but he thought better than asking if Eric had killed Bill. "How can I help?"

"Where is Sookie?" Eric asked for the second time this evening. He didn't like having to wait for his answers.

"She's not here."

"And she's not at home." Eric filled in.

"Then I don't know. Maybe she's with Tara. I heard Tara and Eggs got back from the hospital yesterday. But I don't know where they are staying."

Eric was out the door in a flash not bothering to say goodbye to the bar owner. If Sookie was at Maryann's house, he might already be too late.

**ALRIGHT! Whew. Well I had originally tried to get some more Eric and Sookie in this chapter. But apparently it didn't happen. More plot. I promise there will be fun stuff between Eric and Sookie soon. Maryann's party should be fun (probably a bit like what we saw on Sunday at Merlotte's, mustard and all [ew]). And Eric is going to have to save the day. But how will he get in Maryann's house without an invite. What will happen to Sookie? Will she fall under Maryann's spell? How will Tara and Egg's relationship with Maryann help or hurt Sookie? Will Sookie and Eric finally kiss? Will Bill show up to ruin the moment? (God I hope not) **

**On that note please review! I have written almost 1000 words of the next chapter so I promise it will be up soon. I write it all by hand and then type it up so it takes a little bit longer than I would like. Again – PLEASE REVIEW!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: To my loyal readers and reviewers! Enjoy this **_**EPIC**_** chapter! The Sookieverse doesn't belong to me and neither does Eric * tears***

**THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS EXTREME VIOLENCE!! IF YOU DISLIKE BLOOD PLEASE READ SOMETHING ELSE!! you have been warned. **

**Also – please enjoy the Eric/Sookie moments! :D I promised they were coming soon.**

**CHAPTER 8**

Sookie had made it to Maryann's around 9:30 PM. The party was already in full swing and the driveway was full of cars. Sookie thought she recognized a couple of them and she wondered just how many people had been invited to this get together.

She had walked up the expansive front steps and towards the door. As she raised her hand to know, the door opened and the party spilled out onto the dark Louisiana night. The music was loud and raucous and Sookie could hear people laughing and shouting inside. She pushed the door open the rest of the way and stepped into the large house.

Every light in the house was on and the music was going at full blast. Maryann had obviously spared no expense on the speaker system and Sookie could feel the bass in her body. Half of the town filled the enormous living room and they were all drinking something out of red Solo cups. It looked like everyone was having a great time.

"Sookie!" squealed Tara and she ran over and almost knocked Sookie over giving her a hug.

"Hey there Tara!" Sookie was still in shock about how big the party was but she was glad to see her best friend.

"Come with me." Tara grabbed Sookie by the hand and pulled her through the throngs of dancing drinking people. Tara pushed through a paneled swinging door and suddenly they were in the kitchen. Sookie had never seen anything so nice. The kitchen was huge! Stainless steel appliances gleamed on practically every wall. Sookie corrected herself, one wall held a long granite countertop with a sink sunk in it. Above the sink was a row of large double paned windows.

Now Sookie understood why Tara might want to live with Maryann. This place was fantastic.

In awe, she just stood there and gaped until Tara shoved a glass into her hands.

"What's this?" She said looking down.

"Maryann's secret recipe. It's perfect for parties. Don't ask her what's in it though. She almost tore off my head once for trying to guess."

Sookie's eyes widened and then she relaxed. Maryann wouldn't actually tear off someone's head; Sookie had been hanging around vampires a little too much lately.

"Ha ha very funny Tara." Sookie said a couple seconds too late and Tara just gave her a look. She rolled her eyes and they went out on the back porch. There were even more people out back.

Taking a sip of her drink, Sookie took in the dancing and partying. The backyard was large with flowerbeds and pathways lit with tiki torches but the attention this evening was on the people gyrating to the music. It was like a club had taken up residence in Maryann's backyard.

Over to one side of the yard was an in-ground pool, lit with lights from below the water. Most people in Bon Temps would never think about being able to afford this kind of luxury. No wonder Maryann's parties were such a hit. Sookie took another sip of the drink. It was fruity but earthy. There was obviously some sort of alcohol in it, but it mostly just tasted delicious. Tara watched Sookie drink more of the concoction. She was glad Sookie had gotten here before the party got too wild. The drinking would make it easier for Sookie to let go.

"Hey Tara! Sookie!" Eggs called them from the side of the pool. He was sitting on the edge with his legs dangling in the water. His eyes watched the partygoers with intent. Tara and Sookie sat down next to him and taking off their sandals dunked their feet in the water.

"How're you feeling?" asked Sookie kindly.

"Better." Eggs said truthfully. His head didn't hurt nearly at all anymore. Sookie could tell that he was a really nice guy. The quick glimpse of his mind showed a sweet man who really did love Tara. Tara was such a lucky girl.

As Sookie was pulling back into her own head she felt something _snap _at her from inside Egg's head. What was that?

She tried not to show the shock on her face, but Tara saw it nonetheless. Her nervousness plastered a fake smile on her face. She needed to hide the fear she felt; something in Eggs' mind had _**bit**_her!

"So Sookie," Tara was trying to change the subject. She knew that Sookie had been in Eggs' mind and she didn't want to know what Sookie had found. "So Sookie, I'm sorry about you and Bill breaking up."

"It's okay Tara. I'm upset but I was more upset that he hurt my friends and he did it in my home!" She didn't say "on the sport where Gran was killed" but the thought passed through her head and made her want to cry.

"There y'all are!" came a beautiful voice behind them. Maryann stood there looking resplendent in a long dress and a beautiful gold necklace. She looked gorgeous and very comfortable in the midst of the chaos of the party.

"Hey Maryann." they stood, their wet feet dripping dry on the concrete, and Maryann turned to look at Sookie.

"I'm so glad that you could make it Sookie." She smiled.

"I really am sorry Maryann." Sookie felt so bad about this whole thing. And after what had happened in Eggs' head she kept her shields firmly in place. It was just safer that way.

"Oh, no bother dear! It's in the past. We will all be the best of friends now." They all smiled at each other. Sookie took another sip of her drink and said, "This really is a great party Maryann. And this punch!" Sookie took a gulp to demonstrate, "It's delicious!"

"Thanks Sookie." Maryann touched her shoulder gently and looked her seriously in the eyes, "But don't ask what's in it! Secret family recipe." Tara looked at Sookie with an _"I told you so"_ look on her face.

"Eggs! Why aren't you drinking?" Maryann's brow furrowed as she questioned Eggs. In his hand he held a glass of water.

"Doctor's orders." He replied sadly.

"What the doctor doesn't know won't hurt him. Here," Maryann handed Eggs her glass. "Take mine. I'll just run inside and get another. And oh, it looks like you need a refill too Sookie!"

Sookie stared at the empty cup in her hand, "well it had been delicious".

"One more. I still have to drive home tonight." She gave her glass to Maryann who turned and walked back into the house.

"She's too nice." Sookie said to Tara as a compliment.

"Yeah, I know. She has some strange ideas about some things but she helped put me on the right track. For that I owe her my life."

"Well I'm just glad she doesn't hold a grudge," said Sookie.

As they continued talking, the party was becoming more rowdy. The music had been turned up and people were gyrating madly to the beat. Maryann came back outside and the crowd parted out of the way like she was Moses parting the Red Sea. Reaching the trio in record time, she handed Sookie a full glass. But just as she did, Mike Spencer came running past them being chased by Marlene. Mike pushed past the small throng by the pool and Sookie was shoved backwards.

Looking back it probably wasn't the best idea to stand right next to the pool. But at least the water was softer than the ground; although considerably wetter.

Sookie fell with a splash into the water and came up sputtering. Tara was reaching over the side to help her friend out while Maryann and Eggs tried not to laugh too hard. Sookie bellowed, "Mike Spencer! You're a dead man!"

Everyone started laughing for real at the point and Tara hauled wet Sookie out of the pool.

However, other partygoers upon hearing the splash, through it would be a great idea to jump in. Some clothed and some unclothed. The tidal wave of splashes drenched Sookie again, as well as getting Tara and Eggs. They certainly didn't think it was funny now. Maryann had somehow gotten out of the way in time and was now the only one left laughing.

"Brrr." Sookie shivered, she wasn't cold but she hated standing around in wet clothes. On days with rain she had rain boots, a long waterproof slicker, a hat and an umbrella. People often made fun of her, but it was worth it; she was dry. She and water didn't get along too well.

"Y'all go change." Came a laugh from Maryann.

"Yeah, come on Sook. I got some extra clothes in my room that you could wear."

The trio trudged inside feeling soggy. They had to push past the revelers who all seemed to delight in the fact that they were soaking. The front stairs were grand and Sookie felt like Scarlett O'Hara ascending the sweeping staircase. That is, if Scarlett was soaking wet in a now see-through blouse and a short skirt. Tara led the way to her room and Sookie followed admiring her surroundings.

Tara and Eggs' room was spacious. It had a huge four-poster bed and two large windows that overlooked the front lawn. Eggs disappeared into the ensuite bath and Tara handed Sookie a towel. She started to dry off and Tara rummaged in her overnight bag.

As Sookie toweled off her hair and looked down at the lawn, brightly lit by outdoor lights, her head started to throb. "Oh great, a headache on top of being at a party with the whole town. I'm soaked to the bone and slightly drunk. My shields won't last much longer." She thought to herself.

The pounding grew stronger and it seemed to match the bass coming from the speakers downstairs.

"Tara I don't feel so good." The throbbing intensified and spread. Sookie's head ached like she had a migraine and the pressure grew and grew. She leaned against the bed, letting the towel drop form her hand. Tara didn't respond and Sookie groaned; her friend could be might dense sometimes. She rubbed her temples trying to make the pain stop, but it didn't do much.

"Tara, I'm serious. I think I should just go home. That juice gave me a splitting headache." Sookie dropped her shields to see if that would make the headache feeling any better. She was instantly inundated with minds pressing on hers. That was nothing new. But they weren't thinking about sex, drinking, dancing or how much of a hangover they would have tomorrow. None of it.

Instead, it was a steady hum of dark and gray and a soft chant that seemed to rise in her mind. The words didn't make any sense to Sookie; it was something in another language, maybe Latin or Greek. She was stunned, and didn't know what to do. Nothing like this had ever happened before. The rhythmic chanting started to scare Sookie as the realized it was in time with the music from the stereo downstairs. The hair on the back of her neck stood up and she said, "Tara?"

The girl had frozen still while looking through the bag. Sookie got up and walked over to her. As she grew closer she could hear Tara whispering something. Sookie put her shields back in place to ignore the chanting and put a hand on Tara's shoulder.

"Tara?" Sookie was hesitant. Something was wrong here. Tara's head swung around and Sookie gasped. Her eyes were black, no iris, and no pupil, just black and lifeless. Tara was chanting the same thing out loud that had been in her mind. Sookie took a step back from her friend and the chanting grew louder. Eggs had come out of the bathroom and she saw that he had the same black bug-eyes.

"Come on Tara. It's all going to be okay." Sookie edged away from the two of them as they started advancing on her with looks of intent all over their faces. Sookie bumped into the bed with her back and she knew she was trapped. Neither Bill nor Eric could save her in someone else's house. Why hadn't she listened to the?

Eggs grabbed her and swung her over his shoulder. "Got her." He said and black-eyed Tara gave him a long kiss, complete with tongue. "You're always better when you're rough." Tara responded and they headed out into the hallway. Sookie struggled to get away and started hollering at the top of her lungs. They both just laughed and Eggs swung around to kiss Tara again.

Unfortunately, they were standing in the doorframe at the time and Sookie's head flew into the doorframe, hitting with a thud. It was like a blinding flash in her mind and Sookie felt blood start to drip down her forehead. She continued struggling as Eggs carried her down the hallway, hitting him and trying to kick him "Let me go!" She could hear the chanting starting again, but this time it wasn't in her head.

They stood on the balcony overlooking the main foyer. The entire party was there, chanting "lo lo bromios, lo lo..." Sookie wasn't sure what that meant, but she knew it wasn't good. Some people were still fucking and most of the crowd was naked or at least missing a few pieces of clothes. She was still on Eggs' shoulder and all the blood rushing to her head wasn't helping her headache; now doubled by the blow to her forehead.

"Put me down!" She yelled again and the crowd laughed at her instructions.

"Oh fine. Put her down Eggs." Came a calm reasonable voice. It was Maryann.

Eggs set her down and Sookie wobbled on unsteady feet. The room was spinning a bit and she wanted to sit down. Instead Maryann grabbed her by the back of the neck and presented her to the masses below. The two women were standing at the top of the staircase, like priestess and supplicant at the top of the ancient temple. The crowd cheered when they saw the blood trickling down her face and the state of her blouse; still wet and still extremely see-through. "Can I have her?" Cried one man; Sookie couldn't be certain but it sounded like Mike Spencer.

Maryann ignored the catcalls and the continued chanting. She looked down on her subjects who stared up at her like the god she was. She deserved to be honored, worshipped. Wrapping her hand through Sookie's hair she pushed the girl to her knees. Her legs hit the floor with a thud and a grunt from the blond girl's lips. The edge of the stairs were right in front of her, "if only I could get down them," Sookie thought to herself. Maryann reached down with her other hand and tipped Sookie's head back to look her in the eyes. There was hate and fear coming off of the young woman and Maryann knew that this one was going to be worth it. But what surprised her the most was the lack of influence that she had over this girl.

"What are you?" Maryann asked.

"She's crazy!" Cried Arlene who had appeared at the front of the crowds at the foot of the stairs. Obviously she had gotten off from Merlotte's early enough to come to this bacchanal. Behind her was Terry Bellefleur who wore nothing but camouflage cargo shorts; he was kissing Arlene's neck and fondling her breasts. They both had jet black eyes.

"Yeah, that's right. I'm crazy." Sookie wasn't about to tell this woman that she could read minds. Even if she was going to be killed tonight.

"Little bitch is lying," came a voice from behind Sookie. It was Tara. "She's a telepath."

"Tara!" Shouted Sookie, she was so not going to forgive Tara for this, bug-eyed or not. That was Sookie's secret.

"Mmmm," came Maryann's pleased voice, "So, little telepath. You are far more of a catch than I gave you credit for." The crowd roared in approval and the frenzy continued. More people started having sex against the walls and furniture. The chanting grew and Maryann could tell her people wanted this girls blood.

"I present to you this woman. Marked by me," She pulled Sookie to her feet and spun her around, her back to the crowd. Tara then took out a knife and cut Sookie's shirt off her body; showing the scratches permanently embedded in her back. Sookie couldn't believe Tara would do this to her, stand her practically naked in front of the entire town. She wanted to cry. "And being marked by me, marks her for the God Who Comes!" The crowd cheered.

"And so today we bring forth this willing supplicant." Maryann intoned over the sounds of the partygoers. Sookie didn't know what a "supplicant" was but she knew that she was less than willing.

"Hey! Let me go! I'm not anyone's supplicant!" She struggled against Maryann's grip and she could feel some of her hair rip out of her head. Maryann yanked her back and slapped her across the face. The sting filled Sookie's cheek and she retaliated instinctively and clawed at Maryann's face. Her nails left little indentations in Maryann's flesh and in the surprise of the attack Maryann let go of Sookie's hair to hold her own face. Sookie turned to bolt but Eggs caught her and wrapped his arms around her body. She couldn't move.

Maryann recovered but looked pissed. This little bitch was going to die slowly. "Karl!" She called.

Karl appeared at her left shoulder carrying a mask of the head of a bull. Her placed it on Maryann's head and it seemed to meld onto her features. Sookie struggled some more and watched at Maryann's hands became claws. She had become the beast that haunted Sookie's nightmares.

"And now, to begin the sacrifice." Maryann's voice was deeper and older now. It carried with it a power that was aged by centuries of blood. She motioned with an arm and Tara appeared in front of Sookie.

"Please Tara, you don't have to do this!" Sookie tried to reach inside Tara's mind, to tell her to snap out of it. Inside her head was dark gray mist; and nothing. It's like Tara had never existed. "Tara! Please!" Sookie begged her best friend as Tara held up the knife. Her arms were pinned by her sides and Eggs held tightly as Sookie struggled against him.

With the dagger raised above her head, Tara began to bring it down on Sookie's body. But instead of brutally stabbing her, she cut bloody lines across Sookie's flesh. On the tops of her breasts, on her shoulders, arms, stomach. Purposely, as if guided by a higher authority, Tara avoided major arteries. The blood began to trickle down Sookie's trapped body and she cried out with each cut, the crowd swelling in anticipation as each gash was made.

Maryann watched the ritual with pleasure. She loved turning friend against friend. And to have Tara cut at Sookie over and over again; while Sookie could watch her best friend do it. Well the pleasure she was getting was like the perfect foreplay before perfect sex. This was going to be a great sacrifice.

Sookie felt the pain radiating through her body and the blood loss was starting to make her woozy. She had never minded being bitten by Bill and having him drink from her, because she didn't have to see it (plus they were usually in bed when it happened and Sookie was distracted by other things). But this was too much, it was like when she had given blood at a Red Cross blood drive; she felt like she was going to be sick. This was too much.

"Stop!" She cried and surprisingly Tara stopped. She paused and looked at Maryann. The beast-woman turned to Eggs and said, "Release her."

Eggs let go and Sookie fell to the floor, blood dripping from her various cuts onto the fine Persian rug. She stared at the floor and tried to crawl away from her attacker. She didn't want to stand, she didn't want to breathe, she didn't want to feel. Tara had betrayed her, she was bleeding from multiple points all over her body, and no one could save her. She was doomed.

Eggs grabbed her hair again and hauled her to her feet. Still standing at the edge of the stairs, she faced Maryann, her back to the crowd below.

"Here is the sacrifice for the God Who Comes. Does his people accept it?" Maryann crowed to the crowd.

"More blood!" They called and some just yelled for the sake of yelling. Others were still distracted by the opposite sex and just grunted in approval.

"More blood!" Maryann agreed. They were still chanting and laughing and cheering and Sookie was too tired to care. Maryann reached out with a claw and brushed some of the blood off Sookie's skin. Then she tasted it.

"Delicious. Part human, part something else entirely." The she-bull cocked its head in question, "Are you sure you're just a telepath?"

Sookie nodded.

Shrugging the creature motioned to Tara who still held the knife. "Next part! I'm sure you're going to like this bit!"

Tara knelt in front of Sookie and grinned wickedly. Brandishing the ceremonial knife she began cutting Sookie's legs. Why were they doing this to her? What was the point of this torture? Sookie now just gasped at every little cut and soon her body was practically covered in her own blood.

Tara then moved to her inner thighs and Sookie jumped at the first one jarring the knife. "Tsk, tsk" Tara said looking up, her coal black eyes staring at Sookie. "If you move like that, I might hurt you!" Sookie just stared at her former best friend.

Returning to the task at hand, she cut patterns into Sookie's legs. Maryann started laughing hysterically. Eggs and Tara looked at her, but Tara kept cutting, not that concerned where the knife was really going. Maryann leaned her head back howling in glee, and the rest of the crowd did the same. They may not know what she was thinking, but they liked it when she was happy.

"Oh this will be perfect!" Maryann said. "You're going to be a sacrifice all right Miss Stackhouse. And you blood has already been shed for the God Who Comes, but I have something special in mind for you tonight!" Sookie shivered, unhappy at the tone in the creature's voice.

Sookie realized that if she was going to get out of this situation she needed to save herself. Reaching up she grabbed Eggs' hand, the one holding her hair and she dug in with her nails. He yelped in pain and let go. Then laughed. Sookie reached down to try to take the knife away from Tara and as she did, Eggs shoved her backwards.

The push was hard enough, and jarring enough to make Sookie step back. Unfortunately there was nothing but empty air behind her and a staircase leading down to the bloodthirsty crowd below. As Sookie fell she felt something rip into her skin, harder and sharper and deeper than any of the other cuts had been. The knife Tara had been holding had slipped as Sookie fell. It had cut deeply into her inner thigh leaving a deep gash and it was pouring blood. This wasn't important to Sookie though because her head hit the stairs and she was out like a light.

Her unconscious body fell down the stairs, a rag doll. Her arms and legs every which way and some could swear that they heard her bones cracking. Her blood stained the stairs and she continued bleeding when she reached the bottom. She lay in a heap with blood beginning to pool around her, her arm outstretched, as if she was still trying to get help. Around her frail body the crowd was jumping, a seething mob who wanted her to be bled dry, or to be hurt some more. A fight broke out around her body and her arm was trampled, snapping the fragile bone with a crack.

Maryann surveyed the scene. Well, it wasn't quite what she had planned but it was certainly a good outcome. Her body shivered and hummed, feeding off the energy of the people around her. She walked down the stairs, her feet following the trail of blood left behind by the girl. She was like a celebrity walking down the red carpet, well red carpet of blood in this case. Thinking about it made her want to giggle.

When she reached the bottom the crowd moved back, giving her the proper respect that was due. They wanted to be close the body, they wanted to make her hurt some more; she was for the God Who Comes! This was what they had been waiting for all evening.

"My children." Maryann raised her claws and silenced the masses. There was still the thumping of flesh towards the back but Maryann could tell that they were listening. "This one has given blood to the God Who Comes. Now she will be laid outside as an offering." The crowd cheers again and Eggs, who had come down the stairs after Maryann, lifted the broken girl with his arms. She lay across him, unconscious and prone, and they all began to process outside.

Eric had been watching carefully from the outskirts of the party for about 5 minutes. He had come directly from the shifter's office at Merlotte's and he was worried about Sookie. He could smell her in there, but he couldn't get to her.

"I might be too late." He thought to himself and he tried to sneak a little closer; try to get an idea of what was going on. Generally it just seemed like a party, maybe it was a little bit rowdier than most parties, but people were dancing and drinking. As Eric drew near to the edge of the crowd he began to see the effects the maenad had on the partygoers. All of their eyes were black. And not just the irises. Their entire eyes were black. This made Eric stop just short of the first tiki torch. Obviously, everyone here was possessed by the maenad.

His original plan was to glamour one of the humans to invite him inside. But with their minds already under the maenad's spell, that was out of the question. How was he going to get in the house now?

Suddenly he heard a shriek from inside the house. He knew instinctively that it was Sookie. The crowd of people who had just been dancing all began running inside. Not to save whoever was screaming, but to watch them scream some more. Eric heard one of them chanting "lo lo bromios, lo lo eurithos…" It was evident that the climax of the evening was near. He needed to get inside!

He heard her cry out again and the crowd laughed in glee. Eric ran toward the unguarded door. Maybe he could trick someone into letting him in. They obviously still had the capacity to make complete sentences. Eric stood at the doorway looking in the house. The kitchen was silent but Eric could hear the sounds of people in the next room. They were chanting, laughing and apparently fucking. He shook his head at the debauchery here.

Then suddenly, it happened. He smelled Sookie's blood. It was a powerful elixir to his senses and Eric almost fell to his knees. There was blood and there was a lot of it. Eric wondered if they were draining Sookie dry while he stood outside trying in vain to get in and save her.

"Damn it." Eric hated not having control of a situation. It made him one angry vampire. Just then his phone rang. He felt the vibrating in his pocket and he almost ignored it, more interested in trying to save Sookie. Looking at the digital face he saw that it was Pam.

"What?" He growled at his second in command.

"Don't bite the maenad." Pam was crisp and efficient with words. You would be too after centuries with Eric.

"What?" Eric didn't have time for this.

"Her blood is poison to vampires. Don't try it." Pam warned. She had found more information since Eric had left for Bon Temps.

"Fine." Eric hung up the phone just in time to hear something fall. To his trained hear he thought it sounded like a body. He swore in Old Swedish and tried to figure out a plan.

Suddenly by his side was Bill. The younger vampire looked pale and haggard even though he typically was. Eric could tell that he had planned to keep to himself, but had been called by Sookie's fear.

"Compton." Eric said curtly.

"Sheriff." Bill replied.

Then they heard the crowd coming towards him.

Backing away from the door, Eric fell back into the shadows of the lawn. Bill followed and stood at his side. Soon people began streaming out of the kitchen door as well as the large French doors that opened out from the dining room. All of their eyes were dark and the smell of fresh blood grew stronger. Eric tried to ignore it. He had only had one bottle of TruBlood that evening. He had been in too much of a rush to save Sookie to worry about eating. He had thought this was going to be an easy night.

Bill was feeling the same way. He hadn't fed in a day and the smell of blood was beginning to affect him. And it was Sookie's blood.

In the doorway appeared a tall black man, Eggs. And in his arms was a girl, Sookie. Eric was incensed. What had they done to his human? Her blood smelled like dessert to his hungry body and he restrained himself from launching his body towards hers. Bill felt the same way but Eric put an arm in the way and shook his head. Maryann appeared on the lawn as a Minotaur. Eric stared at the maenad and shook in fury. He would kill her, rip her to shred, and tear out her heart. She deserved much worse.

"VAMPIRE!" The beast roared. Eric hesitated. This could be a trap.

"I can smell you! I know you are there. I told you that I would take your pathetic little human from you." Maryann called out, confident in her victory. "She is bleeding from every appendage of her body and unfortunately she wont last much longer."

Eric growled and came out of the shadows. This bitch was going to die. The blood began to boil in his cold dead veins. If she had killed Sookie she was going to die.

"Give her to me." He commanded and all eyes swung towards his strong form.

Bill followed him out of the shadows as well and repeated Eric's words. "No, give her to me."

The beast growled, laughter coming from its mouth, "I'm glad you both could make it. It wouldn't have been a party without you."

Eric was called again by Sookie's blood. The smell of it was drawing him closer to her. One of his basic instincts was survival and this human was wounded and bleeding plenty of blood. If he only just started to drink… Eric pulled himself out of those thoughts. He was now standing only several feet from Sookie. Bill had more restraint but Eric saw that he was more strained. He wasn't sure how much longer Bill would be able to hold out. Looking over at Sookie, he could see that she was unconscious and had extensive wounds all over her body.

Maryann interrupted his thoughts. "So here's the deal vampire. I was going to sacrifice Sookie to the God Who Comes," the crowd behind her chanted quietly, "The God Who Comes!" and Maryann continued, "But I thought it would be far more entertaining if you both bled this human dry. I can tell that you're hungry… why don't you come have a snack." As those words Eggs held Sookie out in front of him, a sacrifice given to the "god who is dead".

"What did you do to her?" Eric was furious.

"Oh _**I**_ didn't do a thing!" If a bull headed beast could be coy, Maryann was the one to pull it off, "Her best friend did." The beast waved a claw at Tara who stood next to Eggs and Sookie, still holding the ceremonial knife. It dripped blood and Eric knew that Maryann was telling the truth.

Eric realized the genius of her plan. They would both have trouble resisting the urge to feed from Sookie's sweet form, but it was the only way to save her. Bill was trembling at his side and he knew that if Bill were to even touch Sookie he would end up bleeding her dry. He would have to do it. He would not have time to kill the beast and save Sookie.

"I will take Sookie." Eric said, imbuing his words with the power. He was the Sheriff and Bill would have to obey him. Especially since he and Sookie were no longer in a relationship.

"But I wanted to cut her again." Said a voice. Both vampires' heads whipped around and stared at Tara who was watching the blood run down the knife. "It was fun." Her voice was childish.

Maryann smiled at the girl and said causally, "You can stab her now if you want."

It was like letting a pit bull off its leash. Tara cackled and raised the knife above her head.

Without wasting another thought Eric and Bill sped toward the wounded girl and the woman with a knife. Bill slammed into Tara, pushing her away from Sookie's body. The knife went into Bill's shoulder and he groaned in pain. Eggs dropped Sookie but Eric caught her in time. Seeing that Bill was dealing with the crazy knife-wielding girl, he flew Sookie up away from the crowd of bloodthirsty people. He needed to get her somewhere safe, where he could try to heal her.

Tara had managed to keep hold on the knife and plunged it into Bill's body again, this time coming closer to his heart. It may not be a wood stake but, if the blade twisted while in his heart, he would die. As she raised her hand for a third blow, Bill broke her arm and sank himself, fangs deep, into Tara's neck. This girl had killed his love. He drank and drank getting lost the bloodlust. He should have known better than to go without blood, but he had missed Sookie so much that he hadn't had the energy to drink. Now with Tara's blood filling him, he groaned in pleasure.

Suddenly he realized what he had just done. He pulled back and her dying body fell to the ground. The crowd around him cheered, not caring that one of their own had just died. Bill stood, the wounds on his chest and back healing with the influx of fresh blood. The maenad Maryann just laughed. There had been a sacrifice tonight! And she didn't think Sookie stood a chance.

***

A few miles away Eric landed and placed Sookie on the hood of his Corvette. The ground was too dirty and even though he had just had his baby detailed, Sookie was more important. Her wounds still seeped a little bit of blood but there wasn't much left to bleed. He could tell that she was just barely hanging on to life. She regained consciousness for a moment after he set her down, "Bill?" She said groggily.

"No lover, it's me, Eric." He wasn't sure that she could even hear him, but he wanted her to know that she was safe. He pushed his bloodlust to the back of his mind. "I'm going to save you."

"Oh… Eric! I don't want to be a vampire." Sookie was weak but demanding.

"Alright lover, I will try my best." Eric's fang dropped and he tore a chunk of flesh out of his arm. Laying it over his love's mouth she started drinking. It was like a babe sucking at its mother. Her mouth was soft but insistent. Eric lay on the Corvette hood with her, reveling in the feeling of having her mouth against his skin. After a few minutes he stepped back. Her lips mouthed at the air, wanting more of his sweet tasting blood. She would get more once had had assessed her injuries.

She was wearing nothing but a bra and a denim mini skirt. She looked beautiful to him there in the soft moonlight. He saw gashes all over her body where Tara had cut into her soft skin. Eric could tell that her arm had been stepped on and broken. He wanted to kill everyone at that party.

On her legs were intricate cuts and gashes; the knife had been used to decorate her skin with a pattern of some sort. Then Eric saw the most critical wound. On her inner thigh, there was a deep cut, obviously something had happened and the knife had gone deeper than intended.

This wound was still bleeding at a steady rate and Eric knew that the knife had cut the femoral artery. She needed to stop bleeding immediately. Eric leaned down his head and began licking her wound. Her blood was silky and sweet and he had to fight the urge to bite down and bleed her dry. "This is my lover" Eric repeated over and over in his mind. Vampire saliva contained a coagulant and Eric knew that this would be faster at stopping the bleeding than applying pressure or stitching it up.

As he continued licking, he tried to ignore the fact that this was a close to her most sacred spots had had ever been. Part of him wanted to reach up and stroke her. She groaned delicately at his ministrations and that made it that much harder to keep from burying his face somewhere else. But her life was too important. Eric remained focused and as the blood stopped flowing he felt her stir again.

"Eric…" the sound his name on her tongue was like adding gasoline to a fire. His fingers snaked up and brushed against her panties. He didn't know if he could keep himself from doing anything.

"Eric…" She said again, "I hurt."

It was that simple statement that cut to Eric's heart. His love was hurt and here he was thinking about how to get in her very cute panties.

"They were trying to kill me." She said haltingly. Eric raised his head after one more lick and said, "Don't speak lover. You are still very injured. I need to give you more of my blood."

He got off his knees and got back on the hood with her, and reopened the wound on his wrist. She fell back to suckling on him and Eric lay back and looked at the stars. These stars were so different from the stars of his homeland. It had something to do with how the Earth's axis tilted and the seasons of the year. Eric wasn't sure of the details, but he knew that he had never felt at home under this sky until this very moment. He had Sookie next to him; and even if she was gravely injured, she was here with him.

Sookie drank and pieces of Eric's life fell into her mind. Images from the night she walked into Fangtasia with Bill; how he had to know whom she saw. He had wanted her then, although now he was ashamed at his less than honorable intentions. It was after the attack by Maryann. Sookie could tell that was when things changed. When he had realized he loved her. Thinking that she would die had scared Eric more than he had been for centuries. And then after Dr. Ludwig had left and Sookie had been wearing nothing but a Fangtasia shirt… Sookie saw a glimpse of the fantasy he had imagined and part of her blushed tremendously. The imagination of a vampire was quite well developed after 1000 years. The list of things he wanted to do to her was long and exhaustive, literally.

He turned to look at her and he removed his wrist from her mouth. She had more than enough to heal herself, as well as bond her permanently to him. She was _**his**_ whether she liked it or not. He hoped that she would grow to love it.

As the blood spread through Sookie's body, she began to feel warm and happy. She felt like it was right to be here next to Eric. That he would love her and protect her. It seemed strange that she had ever hated or feared him. Bill had been wrong. Eric was perfect.

The elation continued to fill her but the only words she could get out of her mouth were, "You're so pretty." She reached up and touched his cheek. He smiled at her and she dropped her hand, it still hurt to hold it up. He enveloped her in his arms and they lay back together on the car. "You have nice strong arms." She commented and Eric raised an eyebrow. Obviously his love was high on vampire blood. Not that he minded the compliments.

She looked up at him and Eric looked down at her. Their eyes met and Eric pushed a piece of hair out of Sookie's face. She looked so delicate lying there and Eric wanted to protect her forever. He leaned down and kissed her gently on the forehead. His soft cold lips felt good against her warm skin. Sookie moaned a little bit and wished that he would kiss her on the lips. As Eric began to pull back Sookie reached up with one hand and cupped his cheek. Drawing him back down, she opened her lips to his and they kissed.

It was the perfect first kiss, Eric was gentle yet firm. Sookie kissed him back with the reckless abandon that came with having vampire blood racing through her veins. She gripped him by the hair and held him down on top of her, not wanting the kiss to end. Eric's tongue snaked into her mouth and she welcomed it, massaging his tongue with hers. He moaned into her mouth and she picked up the pace wanting more and more of him. He suddenly found himself on top of her, his body responding to the natural urges they both felt. Eric continued kissing her and she ran her fingers through his hair. His lips were perfect, yielding just the perfect amount against her attack.

His hands ran up and down her body, appreciating her lack of clothing. As his fingers hit one of her wounds she gasped. He stopped kissing, "I'm sorry." He whispered to her.

"It's alright." She said, still wanting him to kiss her. Instead he leaned down and kissed the wound, tasting her blood and licking the wound, willing it to heal. His saliva plus his blood acted together and the wound knitted itself up. He returned to lavish attention on her lips and he gasped in delight.

They didn't know how long they both lay there, it could have been minutes, it could have been hours. Eric just wanted more and more of this intoxicating woman and Sookie just wanted to feel his cold flesh pressed up against her body. She wanted to take him to bed and keep him there until she had her way with him, multiple times.

"Eric." She said, taking her lips off his.

"Yes Lover." He responded.

"Take me home." He looked confused, thinking she had been having a good time. He didn't want to leave her now! She saw his brow furrow and she amended her words, "Come home with me." She whispered sexily in his ear.

As quick as a rabbit he lifted her up and put her still wounded body in his car. He could get the seats reupholstered if her blood stained the car too badly. It didn't matter; Sookie had asked him to go home with her.

He hopped in the front seat and soon they were speeding down the highway, getting closer to Sookie's home and Sookie's bed ever second.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Sorry for the delay. No excuses I know. I already have the next chapter written so it should be up soon. Just gotta tweak some stuff. Sorry in advance, I'm no good at writing sex scenes apparently. Thanks for reading!**

**CHAPTER 10**

Eric grabbed Sookie around her waist and pulled her close. She winced slightly at his grip and he relaxed a bit. She may have had his blood but that didn't mean she was completely healed.

As he held her in his arms, they kissed softly. Sookie reveled in his cool lips; the man certainly knew how to kiss. His tongue dipped into her mouth and she moaned quietly to herself. Why hadn't she given in before? This felt so right, so natural; her entire body felt at ease with him there holding her.

Eric loved the way she felt in his arms. Her smooth skin and soft lisp were just a bonus. This woman was phenomenal. He knew that the blood exchange would make their feels for each other stronger but he had never thought Sookie would kiss him back with this intensity.

"Eric?" she broke the kiss and whispered his name.

If vampires could shiver, he would, hearing his name come out of her lovely mouth, "Yes lover?" The word brought a slight blush to Sookie's cheeks. She was starting to feel more alert at the blood bond took hold and she was slightly embarrassed. Kissing Eric on her front porch was a little more public than she would like, even though it was pitch black and the middle of the night.

"Let's go inside, I want to lie down." Sookie slid her arms down from around his neck.

Eric caught her small hands in his large ones, "Allow me." He bent down, picked up Sookie and carried her over the threshold into her house.

As he walked up the stairs with her in his arms, She leaned against his chest and mumbled, "Seems like you're making a habit of this."

"I would carry you to Shreveport and back if you asked." His chest rumbled when he spoke and Sookie sighed in satisfaction.

As they entered the bedroom, Eric flipped on the overhead light. All Sookie wanted to do was crawl into bed. Then she looked down and saw her stained clothes and bloody body.

"I need a shower Eric," She grumbled, "I'm too gross to get in bed."

He laughed at her for complaining about showering, he knew it would make her feel better," You're never to 'gross' for me love." He set her down and then pulled her by the hand into the bathroom. Turning the show on, he made sure the water was warm.

Eric motioned to the steam, "Get in."

Sookie blushed, "Eric, I need to get undressed."

Eric stood staring at her for a second, waiting for her to take off her clothes. When she didn't move he realized she wanted him to leave. She made a shoo-ing motion with her hands but leaving was the last thing on Eric's mind.

"Would you like me to help?" He said, trying to remain innocent.

Sookie rolled her eyes at the big faker, "Get out Eric."

He smirked and left the bathroom but didn't close the door all the way. Standing there he watched her unhook the remnants of her bra and drop it to the floor. Her back was smooth and tan. There were no scars left from when she was scratched by the maenad, but he remembered what they looked like. He had stood, staring down at her, while she lay prone on a sofa in Fangtasia just after the attack. Even then he had wished he could have her.

Next Sookie slid off her denim mini skirt. It fell down her long tan legs into a heap on the floor. She gracefully stepped out of it and Eric was left looking at her tiny red bikini underwear.

He moaned at the sight of her, feeling his pants growing tighter by the second. Then Sookie leaned over and slithered gently out of her panties. Eric stared as Sookie's soft round ass came into view and he stifled a groan. This was too much.

Sookie slipped past the shower curtain and sighed in appreciation as the hot water hit her battered body. Most of the superficial wounds had closed, thanks to Eric's blood and Sookie only felt a few stings here and there. The shampoo sat on the shelf and Sookie grabbed it and flipped open the cap. Pouring a little bit into her palm, she worked up a lather and began washing the blood, her blood, out of her hair.

With her eyes closed, Sookie's mind began to wander. Lying on Eric's car and having him care for her. She felt the lust of those moments come rushing back. He had saved her life, not Bill. And then taken her, cared for her, kissed her and brought her home. He may be the Sheriff of Area 5 but now Sookie thought that she has misjudged him.

As she thought about him, and what she suspected was his perfect body, her desire began to grow. She leaned her head back into the shower and let the water pour over her. The soap started to come out of her hair and rivulets of water and shampoo began to run down her body, following the curves of her tan skin.

She imagined Eric there with her and with one hand she began to play with her breast. She toyed at her own nipple imagining it was Eric doing the same thing. Then her fingers slid down her side to her hips and grabbed tightly, just like Eric would do.

"Oh Lover." came a deep voice, from very close to her.

Sookie's eyes blinked open looking through the suds. Eric was standing there, completely naked, in her shower.

"Eric!" She was startled. No one, not even Bill, had ever gotten in the shower with her before.

"Don't stop on my account." He oozed charm and sexuality. Embarrassed by her nakedness Sookie blushed and looked down. Then immediately looked back up.

Well he certainly was well endowed!

Her blush deepened and spread across her entire body. She couldn't believe he was here in the shower with her. Naked! But he certainly did look good naked. Her natural instincts kicked in and she noticed just how handsome he was.

"What are you doing in my shower?" Sookie finally stuttered, wondering what he was going to do to her. She felt another flash of heat between her legs. Eric smiled as if he could feel the flash and took a step towards her.

"I thought you might need some help…" He held up a loofah and body wash, "getting clean?"

The picture of eternal innocence he was not. Sookie swallowed nervously and simply nodded, not quite trusting her voice to work. He smiled again, showing those perfect teeth, and squirted some body wash on to the sponge.

"Come here." He commanded and Sookie took a step towards him, closing the gap between their naked bodies.

He began making small circles on her body with the loofah and quickly Sookie was sudsy all over. She enjoyed attention and tried to relax. It was nice to feel pampered, especially after the evening she had had. Eric hadn't said anything else, but had continued gently scrubbing her, being careful not to reopen any wounds. As he circled her breasts for the fifth time, he dropped the loofah and continued washing her with simply his hands. Ran his fingers all over her body, enjoying her curves. She looked up into his eyes, opened her mouth to say something.

And then he was kissing her, pushing her back against the shower wall. The mix of cool tiles and her hot flesh was shocking. She gasped and Eric slipped a tongue into her mouth. Her fingers scrabbled at his skin, suddenly wanting to pull him closer. He heat inside of her rose, as if controlled by her proximity to Eric. She wanted more heat, more fire and there wasn't anything to stop her. The water cascaded over both of them, soaking Eric's hair and falling gracefully off of her skin.

They continued kissing feverishly, their lips melting into one another's. It seemed like they were the only ones in the world at that moment. Sookie, feeling playful, nipped at Eric's bottom lip and he growled seductively.

His hands slid up and down her body, one hand cupping around her breast. His fingers began to toy with her nipples; this was far better than she had imagined earlier.

She could feel herself getting wet, even in the damp shower and soon Eric's hands were traveling lower. He sunk a finger into her and felt the tight muscles relax and contract as he stimulated her clit.

"Oh god!" She moaned into his lips.  
"It's Eric, lover." Even in the most serious situations he could still be arrogant. It made her want him more. She broke the kiss and leaned back against the wall moaning, enjoying the way he made her feel. He watched her face light up in ecstasy. He loved the way her neck looked when it tilted back and how her mouth opened with he rubbed her just the right way.

He slid his, now very wet, finger in and out of her, sensing her growing need. Then curling his digit he hit her g-spot. She bucked and moaned, "God Eric!" She called out and he smiled wickedly. This was getting better by the second. She kissed his neck and shoulder and pecs; her soft kisses interrupted every now and then by a playful bite or a heart fluttering groan.

Then she wrapped her fingers around his very hard cock. That was all it took for Eric to let out a loud groan, "Oh Sookie, my love!"

Now it was Sookie's turn to play. "Yes Viking?" She teased and stroked him again, then rubbed one finger around the tip.

His voice choked with desire, "Let me have you."

Never had Sookie heard someone with so much lust in his voice. Bill had been passionate but not this alluring and dangerously wanton. Her lips crashed back onto his, wanting very much to have him inside her. The desire had been building since lying on the hood of his car, and now it was coming to a head.

"Yes." she whispered throatily. She did not trust her voice to remain steady anymore. The passion in Eric's voice had made her go weak and as he continued to finger her, now with two fingers, Sookie knew that she had to have this god of a man.

"Yes?" he whispered back, hardly hoping that Sookie was agreeing to what he was thinking.

"Yes, Eric." This time, her voice was a bit more stable. She wrapped one hand in Eric's hair and while the other continued to stroke his generous manhood.

"Take me." she said and let go with both hands, willing him to take her as he saw fit.

He didn't need to hear her say it again. Eric grabbed her by the hips and picked her up. His cock was swollen in desire and he slid it into her tight opening. Sookie gasped. Her body stretched to accommodate his large size and Sookie could hardly believe that someone could be so big. "Oh Eric." She said again.

Eric felt her warmth envelop him and he groaned. He felt like he would come just from being inside of her body. This was everything he could have hoped for and more. He let her adjust to his size; he knew he was bigger than most and was inwardly pleased that Bill was obviously smaller than him. Sookie would never forget this night if he had his way about it.

Then he began to thrust. Sookie gasped and thought she might be split in two. It felt so good though; she almost started crying. He filled every inch of her and as he pushed in the head of his cock continued to bump against her g-spot over and over again. All she could think about was how amazing Eric was and that she wanted more.

"Please Eric," she managed to squeak out between thrusts, "more."

Eric smiled his wicked smile and began hammering into her, pushing her roughly against the shower wall and fucking her senseless. Eric couldn't believe that sweet innocent Sookie had a naughty, wild side; he liked it a lot.

"God, I'd fuck you every night if I could woman." He called out, starting to get close. She bucked her hips against his, wanting to fuck him as hard as he was fucking her.  
"Oh Sookie!" He cried and Sookie knew that she could get used to him calling out her name. The pleasure of the moment continued to build and one of Eric's fingers found her sensitive clit and began rubbing it in circles.

"Oh shit Eric!" She screamed and wrapped her legs even tighter around him. He felt her walls tighten as she began to orgasm and it was too much for the ancient vampire. He thrust into her hard, one last time and bit down on her shoulder.

It was instantaneous. They both came screaming each others names as wave after wave of emotions swept over them.

As it passed Eric released his grip on Sookie's thighs. He had left hand shaped bruises in his passion. Sookie felt so relaxed though, she was not completely spent, physically as well as emotionally. She untangled her fingers from Eric's hair and laid her head against his chest. He briefly touched the new wounds that he had added to her collection.

"Thank you Eric." Sookie said.

"You're more than welcome my love." Eric let her down from her pinned position against the wall. They both gasped a bit as he finally pulled out. Sookie wanted to cry out, she felt so empty, but she simply held Eric close to her. He began to kiss her neck and lick at her shoulder, healing the bite marks he had made.

The water had gotten cool and Sookie realized they were still in the shower and the hot water heater had run out.

She turned off the water and they both stood dripping and holding each other until Sookie began to shiver. Eric grabbed a towel off the bar and wrapped his lover up tightly. Then stepping out he quickly tousled his hair and dried his body before wrapping the white towel around his waist. Sookie couldn't help but notice how good he looked, even in just a towel (especially in just a towel).

As Sookie stepped out of the shower to walk to the bedroom, Eric, once again, scooped her up and carried her.

Sookie laughed, "Eric, if you keep carrying me, I wont ever get any exercise!"

"Oh don't worry lover, I can give you all the exercise you will ever need." Eric watched as Sookie blushed again and he just laughed.

"Love, I think I will make a game where I try to make you blush. Its just such a good look for you." He kissed her on the forehead.

"Very funny Eric. Now put me down." Sookie wiggled in his arms. He dropped her ungraciously on the bed, pretending to comply with her wishes. The towel that had been wrapped haphazardly around her fell open revealing her naked form. Her body stared up at Eric while Sookie scrambled to cover herself.

Eric put out a hand and stopped her, "You're beautiful Sookie." he said.

Sookie continued to try to pull the towel back over her body, "Eric!" She said exasperatedly.

He gave her a look that warmed her to the very core and then he grabbed her by the wrists and pushed her back onto the bed. He held her down with her wrists above her head and leaned over her naked body. As he slid up onto the bed with her, his towel fell away and revealed his mostly hard cock. Sookie just stared, her eyes a little glassy, thinking about what they had just done in the shower.

"Like what you see?" Eric said languidly.

"You might say that." Sookie gulped.

He leaned down and kissed her, his hands still holding hers down. He controlled how strongly they would kiss and he could tell she wanted more. He teased her with tiny butterfly kisses, pretending that he didn't really want her. Sookie knew better because Eric's fangs were completely out, and that wasn't the only sign of arousal. As he would bend down to kiss her, his cock would brush against her, making her wish that she could overpower him and have her way with him.

"Oh Eric!" She groaned in anticipation.

He switched his grip so that he held both of her wrists in one hand while the other quickly found its way to her warm folds. His fingers teased around the outside of her lips, feeling the wet dew under his fingers. Sookie was ready for him again and he wanted her so badly. He dipped one finger into her pussy and quickly slid it back out. Sookie's eyes were wide, wanting more and more from him. He lifted his fingers to his face and first smelled her sweet juices, then tasted her.

She tasted like how he remembered honeysuckle tasting, sweet yet foreign. It has been so long since he had thought of tasting things besides blood and women but now he wanted more. He let go of her hands and leaned down and licked between her legs.

Sookie moaned and her pelvis thrust upwards towards his face. Wrapping her fingers in his hair, she pushed him towards her wet pussy. He took to the task and his tongue dove in and out of her, eliciting passionate gasps and moans.

***


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hi guys! 2 chapter in one week! I'm on a roll - hopefully! Little more plot development and a few steps in the right direction. Glad everyone enjoyed the sex in the last chapter... it was so tough to write. Please read and review! xoxo**

**CHAPTER 10**

Sookie woke and her eyes were filled with sunlight. Eric was gone. She had passed out at some point from the pleasure and she had the feeling Eric had held her until sunrise. On the pillow next to her, there lay a single blond hair and an indentation. She smiled and touched the pillow gently; her Eric had been lying here only a few hours ago.

Rolling over, Sookie pulled herself out of bed and walked slowly to the bathroom. She wasn't nearly as sore as she had expected (and most of the sore was between her legs). In the bathroom, the shower curtain was lying on the floor and the rings hung naked on the bar. The towels they had worn the night before were piled in the laundry, two white mounds emerging from the depths of the basket. Eric had been nice enough to get the wet towels off the floor. Sookie brushed the towel on top, it was still damp and it made her blush. The sex in the shower had been so sudden, but had felt so right.

Sookie washed her face and brushed her teeth, then slipping on her bathrobe she went downstairs. The house was clean and orderly and Sookie felt relieved that there was no blood to clean, nothing broken to replace and no disturbances. Except one. There sitting on the kitchen table was a hand written note.

_Dear Sookie, I have called the shifter and you aren't working today. Rest. I will be with you soon. –E_

The nerve of that man! Sookie, who moments earlier had been daydreaming about a certain blond vamp, was now spitting mad. How dare he try to run her life. He had no say in whether she went to work or not. That was her decision. Sookie picked up the telephone and quickly dialed the bar.

"Thanks for calling Merlotte's. How can I help ya?" came a flustered voice.

"Sam?" Sookie hadn't ever heard her boss sound like that before.

"Sook? What are you doing calling me? That Sheriff of yours called and said you were sick." Sam was suspicious.

"He's no Sheriff of mine." Sookie was still furious but part of her cringed, "I'm coming in for my shift."

"Oh thank god Sookie." Sam sounded relieved, "Tara didn't show today. And no call either. So we're short staffed and I'm manning the bar."

Sookie didn't want to think about Tara, but she was a little surprised that she hadn't even called Sam to say she wasn't coming in.

"Do you want me in early?" Sookie knew Sam could use the help, but would have been too proud to ask Sookie himself.

"That'd be great Sookie." Sam breathed a sigh of relief, "See you in an hour?"

"I'll be there!" Sookie hung up the phone and started the coffee pot. It was going to be a long day.

***

The shift had been a tough, and lasted through the afternoon and evening. Sookie had seen people who had been at Maryann's the night before and it was hard to serve them since they had so willingly given her up to be sacrificed. But most of them had smiled and wished her a good day. Their whole attitude confused Sookie. Hadn't they wanted to kill her the night before?

Whenever she doubted her own sanity about the event, all Sookie had to do was reach down and rub the large cut on her leg. It was hidden underneath a pair of black jeans but it still hurt when she pressed down on it. Last night was not just a terrible nightmare; it was a fact.

When Jane Bodehouse walked in and smiled cheerfully at Sookie, she thought she was going to pull out her hair.

She needed answers.

Swiftly dropping her shields, she walked to Jane's table, pen and pad ready to take the woman's order.

"Hi there Sookie, I'll have a cheeseburger and fries." Sookie wrote this down waiting to hear if Jane had anything particular on her mind. Nothing. Except whether to have diet or regular and if diet really would help her lose weight, or if it would just taste bad. "Oh and I'll have a regular Coke." Jane smiled her crooked tooth smile and Sookie grinned painfully in return.

Grabbing the coke from the dispenser in the back, Sookie returned to Jane Bodehouse's table.

"So Jane, did you have a good night last night?" Sookie thought a direct approach might work better than just waiting for someone to think about the previous evening.

"Yeah, it was real nice. Thanks for asking Sookie!" Jane was decidedly too cheerful.

Sookie could hear her frantically thinking that she hadn't had that much to drink last night, and she shouldn't have blacked out, and she had no idea how she had ended up on the sofa last night. Sookie could tell that Jane Bodehouse had no memory of watching as Sookie had been cut and sliced and fallen down a set of stairs. This was becoming more peculiar by the second.

"I'll be right back with your food!" Sookie forced herself to smile sweetly and turn and walk back to the kitchen.

When Sam told her she was cut, Sookie could have kissed the shifter. She was sore all over, and her head hurt from the noise both inside and out of her brain. All Sookie wanted was to go home and take a long relaxing shower. Pushing the door to Sam's office open, Sookie reached down the grab her bag. It sat on the bottom shelf, next to Arlene's "work makeup" bag. Arlene always wanted to be prepared in case some hot guy came in and was "Mr. Right". She threw her own bag over her shoulder and headed back out the door, bumping into her boss.

"Hey Sookie." He motioned for her to step back into the office.

She took a step back and Sam closed the door behind him. "What's up Sam?" Sookie was weary and didn't know if she would be able to handle a lecture from Sam, especially if it had to do with Eric. Oh Eric.

Sookie felt a rush of heat flood her body. Images from last night played through her brain on fast forward and she began to tingle all over, feeling herself getting wet. No! She was still furious with him. He had tried to mess with her life without her permission. That was a huge mistake.

Sam had been talking, Sookie refocused her attention on him to hear him say, "And that's why I don't think you should be hanging out with vampires, especially vampires like that Eric."

One corner of Sookie's mouth went up, "Sam, I can take care of myself. There are far more dangerous things than vampires and while you may not like Eric, at least he saved my life last night."

Sookie hadn't been intending to say that last bit, it was probably more information than Sam needed to know but now it was out there. Sam looked a little shocked and sat down in his desk chair, it squeaking under his slight weight.

"Maryann." He whispered.

Sookie looked at him sharply, "Yes." she paused, "How do you know that?"

"Eric came here last night, asking questions about Maryann and maenads." Sam's voice seemed hollow. "You almost died?" He gulped.

"But Eric saved me." Sookie shot Sam a look, "A… maenad? Is that what she is?" The words began coming in a torrent, "Is that why you were trying to tell me to stay away from her? Why didn't you tell Tara the same thing? Or Eggs? Why would Eric know that you would have information about Maryann?"

"Slow down Sookie." Sam held up a hand, hushing her. "It's a long story. I'm sorry you were hurt. I knew that when Eric rushed out last night that it was something serious, but I never thought you were in immediate danger. I thought that she wanted to kill me. She's always gone after me."

"Sam Merlotte!" Sookie's voice was demanding. "What the heck is going on around here?" Sam knew that Sookie didn't usually use words that like that and he looked up.

"I guess I owe you an explanation." Sam sighed, "There isn't that much to tell. I've met Maryann before. She knows I'm a shifter and she's tried to kill me. I thought that she was here for me again, she doesn't like it if you get away from her."

Those words snuck into Sookie's chest and she grew cold. Would Maryann try to kill her again?

Sam continued, "I never for one second thought that she would go for you. You're a telepath but I didn't think that she would want to kill you too. I'm sorry Sookie."

"I can't believe you didn't tell me Sam. I thought we were friends. I thought we trusted each other." Sookie's anger continued to grow.

"I'm sorry Sook."

"Sorry doesn't cut it. I would have died last night if Eric hadn't saved me and given me his blood. I was almost dead!' Her voice was high and shrill but it was cut off by Sam's low and emphatic, "WHAT?"

"You heard me, I almost died!" Sookie was red in the face now with tears starting to form. She couldn't believe her boss, her former friend, could be so stupid.

Sam was thinking the same thing, "I can't believe you drank his blood. Do you even know what that means?"

"It means I'm alive and you're not burying me right now!"

"It means he has control over you for the rest of your life!" Sam shouted back at a similar decibel.

"And one more thing… What?!" Sookie stopped, her brain registering what Sam had just said. "What?"

"Eric now has control over you for the rest of your life. Did he drink your blood?" Sam's face was pained.

"Well," Sookie blushed, "He licked my wounds clean."

"God damnit!" Sam shouted.

"Sam!" Sookie may be mad, but that didn't mean she was okay with taking the Lord's name in vain like that.

"Sorry Sookie." Sam looked mildly remorseful, "But Eric tricked you. He might have saved your life, but now you are indebted to him for the rest of it. You are blood bonded to him"

Sookie sat down hard in a chair. Her bag thumped against her leg, hitting one of her wounds and causing her to wince. How could Eric do this to her, he had treated her so gently last night; it had seemed so romantic.

"I'm sorry Sookie." Sam looked at the pretty blond girl who was now stuck with vampires for the rest of her life.

Then Sookie had a thought, "But Sam, I shared blood with Bill. Does that mean I'm… blood bonded… to him too?"

Sam wasn't pleased with the direction this conversation was going but he grimaced and answered, "Well I'm not quite sure exactly how it works Sookie, I don't know if Eric's blood would cancel out Bill's blood, but I would have to assume that you are now bonded to both of them."

"And they can order me around, tell me what to do?"

"I'm not quite sure it works like that. You aren't a vampire, so they don't have ultimate control. But I think that you are more attuned to their wants and needs. So while you may not feel like you are being ordered around, you may do things you wouldn't normally do."

"Like…" Sookie's voice got small, "Have sex with them?"

Sam had the decency to blush, "Perhaps."

"Agh!" Sookie let out a strangled cry, and then sat silent. She couldn't believe both Eric and Bill had done this to her. Was that why she had felt so connected to Bill and now so connected to Eric? It would make sense.

What was real and what wasn't?

"Is there any way to stop a blood bond?" Sookie heard herself asking Sam.

"I don't know Sook." Sam's voice was calm again, "But I bet killing them would end it."

As soon as Sam said it, Sookie felt a cold hand wrap around her heart. Just thinking about killing Eric or Bill made her want to die inside. A voice started screaming in her head that no, that couldn't happen. That she would be empty without them. Sookie gasped and gulped and Sam saw that she had started to cry.

"Oh Sookie!" Sam wanted to hold her close and comfort her, "It will be alright. We'll figure this out together."

Sookie straightened and wiped the tears from her eyes, "No Sam, it won't be alright. I need to go home and shower."

"Alright Sook." Sam was hesitant to let the pretty waitress head home while so upset but he wasn't going to get in her way.

"Thanks for telling me Sam. Hopefully we can figure out a way to get rid of Maryann, and soon." She gave Sam a half smile and stood up from the chair. Then grabbing a tissue from the box on Sam's desk, she left the office, letting the door slam against the wall on her way out.

Sam sat back in his office chair, letting the sounds of the kitchen and the patrons out at the bar fill his ears. It would take a miracle to save him and Sookie, but who knows, maybe they'd find one.

***

Out in the parking lot, Sookie stalked to her car. She was a bundle of emotions and now she was thinking about Eric again. Just his name made her wanted to kiss him again, even though he had betrayed her trust. She was a mix of anger and lust. She turned on her car and flipped the headlights on. A shower would make everything better. But then the thoughts of last night's shower began to flood her brain and Sookie suddenly wondered what Eric was doing. She shook her head, she was angry with him. Angry with him!

"Get it together Sookie." She muttered to herself as she drove down the road. It was dark but the moon was lighting a large portion of the road and Sookie drove confidently.

Turning into her driveway she saw a shiny Corvette parked next to her house. Sookie parked and got out of her car, her heart racing in anticipation and her head raging furiously. Eric was about to hear a few choice words come out of her mouth.

She walked up the back steps and onto the back porch. Eric stood in the shadows, a slightly perturbed look on his face.

"Sookie." Eric started. Sookie put her key in the door.

She whirled to face him, "Eric." she said her voice tight, "Why don't you come inside, we need to talk."

Eric was startled by this abrupt change from the previous night. He could feel her anger coming over the bond, as well as fear and a little bit of revulsion. What had happened?

They walked into the kitchen and Sookie subconsciously got out a True Blood and heated it in the microwave. She collected herself while the microwave counted down seconds and when it dinged, she grabbed the drink, shaking it to get rid of cool spots. Uncapping the bottle, she handed it to Eric.

"So I see you went to work today." He said conversationally, "Did you not get my note?"

Sookie threw up her hands in exasperation, "Eric! I can't believe you would do this to me!"

"Lover, I wanted you to have the day off to rest and recuperate, you almost died last night." Eric was patronizing her. She could tell.

"Eric, it's not your place to call off work for me. I need to make money so I can afford to live." Sookie sat in the chair across from him.

"I could give you whatever you needed." To Eric, this seemed like the logical solution and wondered why Sookie hadn't already thought of the same thing.

"I will not be your kept woman." Sookie was furious.

"You are NOT my kept woman Sookie. You are my lover." Eric was firm. Now he was getting mad. How could one human be so stubborn?

"Aah!" Sookie screamed, "I'm not your lover. I just thought I was... because of your stupid blood." She wanted to throw something at him.

Eric paused, "So you didn't enjoy what we did last night?" His tone was seductive and a part of Sookie swooned at the casual mention of the previous evening.

"Of course I did!" Sookie was adamant, "But it wasn't me who wanted it. It was your blood. Sam told me about blood bonds and how I'm bonded to you now and that it will make me… sexually attracted to you." She looked like she was about to scream or cry.

Eric growled, setting his blood back on the table, "The shifter told you _what?_"

"His name is Sam." Sookie tone was dangerously flat now but she still had tears filling her eyes. She just wanted all of this to be over.

"Sam." Eric said derisively, "Sam told you what?"

"Sam told me that since I drank your blood and you drank my blood, we were blood bonded and it is what causing me to want you."

Eric smirked a little, "Oh? You want me?" Sookie could have sworn that she saw him fluttering his eyelashes.

"I'm serious Eric!"

"Of course you are Sookie." He sounded like a grown-up trying to calm a petulant child.

"Am I feeling this because of your blood?" Bold questions got bold answers. They stared each other down for a second and Eric thought about lying to the furious blond sitting across from him.

"Not entirely." Eric began.

"What do you mean '_not entirely'_" Sookie was scrunching up her lips and Eric just wanted to kiss this woman into submission.

"My blood will affect you in different ways," Eric took an unnecessary breath, "It healed you, which was the main point, secondly it will connect us."

"Connect us how?" Sookie couldn't help but interrupt.

Eric took the interruption in stride, "It will allow me to feel your emotions as well as let me know where you are at all times. It will let me know if you are in life threatening danger, which could be helpful since you seem to get yourself into those sorts of situations on a regular basis."

"Not before I met vampires." Sookie muttered still listening.

"It also amplifies some things." Eric paused. "Like sexual feelings."

"What?!" Sookie shouted, "Eric!"

"It doesn't happen with everyone, but luckily it did with you." Eric smirked, "You really are perfect Sookie, and such a tigress in bed! No wonder Compton wanted to keep you to himself."

Sookie was indignant, but then remembered that she must also have a blood bond with Bill. "Does your blood cancel out Bill's blood?"

"While it is true that I am much more powerful and much older than Compton, my blood will simply diminish his claim to you. He will still be able to feel you if you are in danger, and will be able to sense some of your emotions, but he has no vampiric claim on you any longer. Especially since you renounced him."

"I can't believe Bill didn't tell me any of this!" Sookie was shocked; Bill had known about this bond yet had left it out of any conversation they had ever had. It was like another stake in her already broken heart; Bill had been less than honest with her. Had she really known him at all?

"What!" Eric growled, "I will tear him limb from limb."

"No Eric." Sookie stopped him; "I will deal with this on my own time." She was exhausted, and all she wanted was a shower and to get in bed.

"I'm sorry Eric, I need to go to bed." Sookie stood up from the table, her muscles stiff.

"I apologize for bonding to you without speaking to you about it first. However, it was the only way to save your life." Eric was firm.

"Thank you for saving my life Eric," He loved her way she said his name. "But I don't appreciate being taken advantage of, especially, if I think otherwise." She blushed thinking about last night. "I'm going to need time to work this out."

"Of course." Eric was frustrated, but he didn't show it. "Well I will see myself out. Have a lovely evening Ms. Stackhouse."

His formality shocked Sookie. "Eric." He turned and faced her, his hand still on the doorknob.

She walked over to him and stood on her tiptoes. She kissed him quickly on the cheek and dropped back to the ground, "I didn't mean that I don't want to see you. I just think we're rushing it."

His voice was uncertain, something Sookie had never heard him sound like before, "Rushing it?"

"Yes, rushing it." Sookie quickly formulated a plan, "Perhaps we could date, instead of just rushing ahead with the sex stuff." She blushed.

He ran a hand along her cheekbone. She really was pretty when she blushed. "Date." Eric hadn't 'dated' anyone in nearly a century. This would be interesting. "Of course we could try this dating thing."

Sookie smiled, happy that Eric had agreed to her compromise. This would let her find out if she had real feelings for him, and not just feelings created by this bond that they had.

"Good!" She smiled.

"Does that mean we will go out together tomorrow night?" Eric wanted her again soon; he could feel his pants getting tight just thinking about having her to himself.

"I have work tomorrow, which is Wednesday, but maybe on Thursday?" Sookie left the sentence open ended to see if this was good with Eric.

"Yes Thursday should suffice." Eric was brisk. He knew he had to plan the best date ever. Perhaps Pam could help him, she knew of these things.

Eric opened the door and headed back out into the night, "Have a good night Sookie." He turned and returned the kiss, kissing her on her left cheek ever so gently.

"Good night Eric." and he was gone, in a blaze of exhaust and taillights fading around the corner of her driveway.

***

Upstairs, Sookie rehung the shower curtain and turned on the water. It seemed like such a long time had passed since last night, but it had been less than 24 hours. Stepping into the shower, the warm water cascaded over her naked body. Part of her wished Eric was with her, so they could reenact their shower form the night before. She squashed that feeling, knowing it must be a direct result of the blood bond. It scared her to think that only a few weeks ago, she had despised Eric, and now she was lusting after him like Andy Bellefleur after a bottle of liquor. She understood how someone could become an alcoholic. Once you got that taste, it was easy to get hooked.

Sookie washed the shampoo out of her hair and quickly shaved her legs. Always good to be prepared. She cut the water off and grabbed a fresh towel.

Sitting in her bedroom, she pulled on some underwear and a light summer robe. It had been a present from Gran a couple Christmases ago and at the time Sookie thought it had been far too luxurious of a gift. The robe was short and made of red satin. At first Sookie had thought it was silk (and far too expensive) but she had quickly fallen in love with the texture of the satin against her skin and she wore it often. Sookie brushed out her hair and put it up in the towel. No use worrying about it at this late hour, she'd just put it up in a ponytail tomorrow.

Padding barefoot to the stairs, Sookie headed to the kitchen for a glass of water and to shut down the house for the night. She grabbed a plastic cup out o the cabinet and stood at the farmhouse sink filling it. Suddenly there was a banging at the front door. Sookie couldn't imagine who would be calling at such a late hour. Maybe it was Bill coming to try to win her back again. She debated ignoring it, but her Southern upbringing got in the way. And besides, the lights in the house were still on, so whoever it was knew she was home and awake.

Holding the cup in one hand, Sookie pulled open the front door. There was Eggs.

Sookie gasped and dropped the coup, the plastic knocking against the hardwood and the water splattering everywhere, and then forming a big puddle on the floor.

Eggs stood still in the doorway, "Sookie." His voice was raw and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw his eye were normal.

Well not black and bug-eyed at lest. Sookie could see that they were bloodshot and puffy, like Eggs had been crying.

"What's the matter Eggs?" Sookie was still hesitant about letting this man who, not 24 hours ago, had held her while her best friend had cut her into ribbons.

"God, I should have called, I'm sorry it's so late, I didn't want to tell you over the phone." The words spilled out of him and Sookie could see that he was visibly starting to tremble.

It was evident at this point that Eggs was no threat. Still, Sookie felt uncomfortable having him inside.

"Why don't you sit on the rocking chair over there and I'll bring you a glass of iced tea." Sookie pointed to a pair of rocking chairs that sat casually on the front porch. Eggs nodded and Sookie went back to the kitchen. She grabbed the iced tea and rag to mop up the water in the foyer.

Being a good hostess, Sookie took the tea to Eggs and then returned to clean up the spill.

"Thanks Sookie." Eggs called, his voice more steady and returning to its melodic self.

Sookie sat on the chair next to Eggs and waited for him to start. The air was cool and she could feel a chill creeping up underneath her thin robe.

"Sookie, I'm so sorry!" Eggs blurted.

She wondered if he was apologizing for the night before, and if so why wasn't Tara apologizing too!

"It's alright Eggs." Sookie started, her demeanor cool as a cucumber, but Eggs cut her off.

"Tara is dead!"

"What!" Sookie was in shock, she may have been furious and upset about last night, but to think that Tara was dead was too much.

"I woke up this morning and Maryann had found her in the garden. She must have gotten drunk, blacked out and passed out outside."

Sookie could hear Egg's brain going over and over the previous nights events but he had blacked out right after they had come in from getting wet by the pool. His mind assumed it was from mixing his drugs, the punch and residual affects of his concussion. Sookie knew better.

"What happened? How did she die?" Sookie tried to ask as calmly as possible. She figured Maryann probably had something to do with it. Perhaps because they hadn't been able to finish the job with her!

"Vampire." was the word that came out of Eggs' mouth.

Sookie's eyes widened and her mouth formed a little "O" shape. That was certainly not what she had expected.

"Are you sure?" She asked timidly, wanting him to say it wasn't so. She couldn't believe her former best friend was dead, and because of a vampire!

"She had bite marks on her neck and had been completely drained of all her blood." Eggs was certain.

Sookie winced. What vampire would kill a human in Area 5, on Eric's turf, so close to where Eric had been that night, without Eric knowing! Unless…

Sookie stopped her train of thought. Eric could have killed Tara! He just couldnt've!"

The part of her that was connected to one of the most badass vampires in the region was defiant. Her Eric wouldn't kill anybody, at least not on purpose, and not one of her friends.

"Maryann said that she had seen a blond vampire in the area the night before the party. But who knows who that might be." Eggs interrupted her train of thought. She had been trying to build excuses for Eric and why he couldn't have killed Tara. But a small nagging voice in the back of her head said,_ "He's a killer and always has been. He could have easily killed Tara and saved you in practically the same breath."_

"Not Eric." were the words that Sookie softly breathed and Eggs caught them both.

"Eric? The Sheriff?" Eggs was disturbingly calm and contemplative. "They say that vampires don't kill humans anymore, but I guess that the Sheriffs of an area just get a pass."

Sookie was surprised that Eggs knew that much about vampire politics but she was more disturbed by what he said next, "Well someone is going to have to teach him a lesson."

She gave Eggs a sharp look and the sad man grew quiet again. He knew that he had overstepped his bounds and he hung his head in the perfect picture of shame. However, Sookie could hear him thinking, plotting to go to Fangtasia and deal with Eric once and for all.

"Eggs," she started, "let me deal with this."

"No Sookie, I don't want you getting hurt or killed too." His head shot back up.

"Eric will listen to me, and he'll tell me the truth." She hoped out loud. "I'll go to Fangtasia tomorrow and we will get to the bottom of this."

Her entire being was praying that Eric would refute the claims and have a reasonable alibi. She had watched enough cop shows to know that Eric would need an alibi or some sort of evidence that he hadn't killed Tara. Sookie just hoped that he would have it

***

Thanks for reading (this is my favorite chapter yet!) Please review!


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thanks for the patience. Thanks for the reviews - Sorry if Sookie seemed a little strange at the end of last chapter. She was tired, and not really thinking clearly. I'm sorry I didn't explain her confusion better! On another note - - I want everyone to say THANKS to my BETA – VampLover1. She's going to help me out a bit and hopefully my grammar errors will now be non-existent. Enjoy! (please review!)**

**Chapter 11**

Sookie sat up in bed and realized Eric couldn't have done it.

It was crystal clear now. She didn't know why she had even suspected him the night before. Her brain had just been tired from the long day and even longer night. The sun was now hanging high in the sky, and it must have been past noon. She had slept like a rock, and Sookie was glad that Eggs had left without any more incidents or accusations. She had offered him a bed but he had declined; he said he needed to get back to Maryann's.

She sat in bed and thought about Eric. Last night, she had been too hasty. The poor man had protected her, loved her, and here she was thinking that he had murdered her friend in cold blood, literally. Eric had saved her and then spent the rest of the night with her; there was no way that he could have killed Tara. There was his alibi, if nothing else.

The last thing Sookie remembered about Tara was her friend's face smiling wickedly at her with those creepy eyes, while she cut into Sookie's bare leg. After that Sookie had gone down the stairs, headfirst, and it was all black. Obviously she needed more details about that night. She owed it to Tara, if not herself, to find out what had happened that evening. And maybe she could find her former best friend's killer.

Eric would know if there were any new vamps in the area and who might have been in Maryann's backyard a couple of days ago. Eggs had been entirely certain about the fact that a vampire had killed Tara. She had read his mind clearly, and it was obvious he wasn't lying. He had seen Tara's body.

Sookie pushed herself out of bed, already missing the soft down comforter and the plump pillows. But she couldn't just lie in bed all day; she had a mission. She headed downstairs to the kitchen; coffee came first.

Grabbing a cup from the cabinet, she poured herself some coffee. It might be mid-afternoon, but a girl still needs her caffeine. As she drank the first restorative sip, she sat at the kitchen table to think. If it had been a normal day, she would have gone outside and sunbathed. But something was drawing her to get to the bottom of this. It was just offsetting to think that there might be a strange vampire in the area who had no compunction (word of the day) about killing humans.

Too bad it was daylight, or she could have just called Eric and asked him. But now she was going to have to go about this another way. She grabbed the phone off the wall and quickly dialed Arlene's number. It rang several times until a small voice answered, "Hello?"

"Coby?" Sookie was surprised that Arlene was letting her son Coby, who couldn't have been more than eight, answer the phone.

"Yup?" She could hear him chewing a piece of bubble gum; he was smacking as he talked.

"This is Sookie Stackhouse. Where's your mama?"

"Oh, hi Miss Sookie." Coby could at least be polite when he wanted to be. "Mama's with Uncle Terry right now. They're having 'grown-up time'."

Sookie blushed, knowing exactly what 'grown-up time' must entail.

"Oh well, I guess just let her know that I called. Can you remember to do that honey?"

"Sure thing, Miss Sookie. When are you coming over to visit us again?" It was obvious his mind was not on passing along the message.

"I don't know Coby, soon. I've been out of town recently."

"Well where'd ya go?"

Sookie sighed but answered his question anyway. "Dallas."

"Oh man! That must have been so cool." Coby was nothing if not an eight-year-old boy. Sookie thought about how "not cool" her trip had been, with vampire deaths, almost being killed, and those crazy FotS people.

"Yeah Coby, it was real cool." Lying in this instance wouldn't hurt the poor boy.

"What'd you do there? Did you go with Vampire Bill?"

But his line of questioning was interrupted. "COBY! Who are you talking to on the phone?" came Arlene's voice.

"I'm talking to Miss Sookie, Mama!" he shouted, not covering the phone, making Sookie go slightly deaf.

She held the phone away from her ear and waited. "Hi there, Sookie! How're you?" came Arlene's voice, slightly out of breath.

"Oh I'm fine, Arlene."

"I'm sorry about Coby. I've told him he's not supposed to answer the phone. But he does it anyway," Arlene gushed.

"It's fine. I wanted to ask you a favor." She might as well as get to it.

"Sookie, I can't cover for you today," Arlene said before Sookie could ask.

Well there goes that, Sookie thought. "Nah, Arlene, I just wanted to know if you would close tonight. I need to get some stuff taken care of this evening, and it would really help if I could get off early." Sookie rambled, "I'll watch the kids for you, so you and Terry can go out sometime. Please?"

The idea of a date night with Terry was all it took. "Sure Sookie, I'll close for you tonight. Oh, I can't wait to tell Terry we get to go on a real date! He's gonna love it!"

"Thanks Arlene," Sookie said wryly. "I guess I'll see you at work tonight. I'd better go get ready if I'm going in first."

"Sure thing sweetie." Arlene was tickled pink. "I'll see you tonight!"

***

The shift went by quickly. Wednesday nights were usually pretty slow and Sookie got cut early. She rushed home and grabbed a quick shower. There was no point in going to Fangtasia all gross. And besides, Eric would be there. Her heart jumped a bit thinking about him, and she went a little bit faster.

Looking in her closet, she wondered what to wear. She dismissed the pastel colors, although Pam would like them. Tonight she wanted to blend in a little bit more. She grabbed a black, sleeveless button-down top that was kind of sheer. It had been on sale at the Target in Monroe, but Sookie hadn't realized it was sheer until she got it home. It would be perfect for tonight. She found one of the sexier bras she owned, black with white embroidery, and put it on. If you're wearing a sheer top, then your bra better be pretty. She smiled to herself; Eric was going to go crazy over this outfit.

Slipping on a pair of tight jeans was easy; most of her jeans were tight at the moment. She needed to not eat so many meals at Merlotte's. That cooking would get to you after awhile, and it showed in her jeans.

A pair of black boots and she was ready to go. She gave herself a once-over in the mirror. She looked pretty hot. Her jeans were dark denim and make her curvy in all the right places. The sheer top showed off just a hint of skin and bra, and Sookie had unbuttoned the top few buttons. Her tan skin showed where the fabric parted, and you could see the gentle curve of her breasts. Eric was definitely going to like this outfit. She touched a hand to her curled hair and headed out the door.

The drive to Shreveport was uneventful; Sookie hadn't seen a single cop and hardly any traffic. Apparently Wednesday wasn't a night to go out for most anybody. She pulled into the parking lot and saw a good number of cars already there. She reapplied her lipstick in the car, something called 'blood red' by the cosmetic company; it was an attempt to garner sales from the vampire-loving community. The color suited Sookie's skin perfectly, and she pursed her lips and then headed towards the front door.

There was a line, of people still waiting to get in. Sookie approached the front and saw that the bouncer was a vampire she hadn't met before. She smiled sweetly and tried to walk past him.

"Hold up there, missy." The vampire seemed a little surprised at her nerve.

"I need to get inside," Sookie said pertly.

"Sure you do." He had seen plenty of fangbangers in his day but this one seemed different than most. Still, he had a job to do. With a menacing look he said, "Get to the back of the line."

Sookie was taken aback by his behavior and thought about calling out to Eric, but she wanted to surprise him. Waiting in a line wasn't going to kill her.

She walked to the back of the line and surveyed the rest of the fangbangers waiting to get in. They were mostly dressed in black latex outfits or some sort of dress that was barely there. It was a good thing it wasn't cold outside, cause they probably would have frozen with that much skin showing.

Sookie shifted her attention away from the girls who were thinking about _getting in that Eric's pants_ or wondering if _Thalia would punch someone or bite someone tonight_. She just shook her head and waited for the line to go down.

Ten minutes later, Sookie hadn't gotten that much closer to the door. As she was just starting to get cold, the front door banged open and out stalked a very angry-looking Pam.

"Men!" That was all that she shouted, but several of the fangbangers flinched. Sookie wasn't sure if she should say hi or if she should just stay still, but Pam decided it for her.

Her head spun around and she smiled, looking Sookie right in the eye. "Sookie!" she cooed. "You look _and smell_ delectable this evening!"

The bouncer was surprised that a vamp like Pam would even notice such a normal-looking fangbanger. He was even more surprised when that fangbanger stepped out of line and hugged the vampire. Now _that_ was strange.

Sookie released Pam and smiled broadly. Pam looked a little taken aback but then smiled wickedly. "I suppose you are here to see Eric?"

"I need to ask him something."

"Do you not have a telephone?" Pam's eyebrow went up.

"I wanted to ask him in person." Sookie was defiant.

"Of course you did, Sookie." Condescending Pam was back, and it was a welcome relief to the crowd. The fangbangers knew how to deal with that Pam.

Sookie paused then asked, "Is he in a good mood tonight?"

"It must be serious if you are asking me that." Pam was surprised.

Sookie just smiled, not wanting to give too much away to their attentive audience. Most of the crowd knew that Pam was Eric's right hand, and they were surprised to see the Ice Queen on such friendly terms with a human.

Pam turned to the bouncer who had kept Sookie out of the club not fifteen minutes earlier and said very coldly, "This is Sookie Stackhouse. Remember her face. She is allowed immediate entrance upon her arrival here. Or Eric will have your head."

The bouncer's face paled, and it was obvious that he had heard the name Sookie Stackhouse before. Sookie blushed and was suddenly overwhelmed by the minds of those around her.

_So that's the bitch that stole Eric. Damn, that's Sookie Stackhouse? I can see why Eric would like her; a bit on the chubby side, but Eric's a Viking, so he'd probably like that. God I wish I could be her._

The thoughts flew at Sookie, and she wondered when she had become so famous. The bouncer was apologizing.

"I'm sorry, Miss Stackhouse. Please don't tell Eric that I detained you." The vamp was practically cowering before her. Sookie was shocked.

"Of course I won't."

"Sookie!" Pam pushed the bouncer to the background, as if he was a fly. "Inside."

Pam wasn't what you called tactful. But that was part of her charm. She ushered Sookie inside, and suddenly she was overwhelmed by the sounds of the music and the thoughts of the patrons at the bar. She quickly put her shields back in place, making sure to hold them there tightly. Fangtasia certainly wasn't known for its clean and holy thoughts.

Sookie immediately saw Eric. He sat on his throne, in the same position as the first time she saw him, gazing out at the crowd. But this time he looked furious. He saw Pam come in and his eyes flashed; then he saw Sookie. He seemed shocked at first and then took in her outfit. She watched him close his eyes and inhale deeply and slowly, and she knew he was smelling her. Ew. Eric certainly was a classy guy.

Pam was as giddy as a schoolgirl, and Sookie had no idea why. As they approached Eric, fangbangers and vampires moved quickly out of their way. They didn't want to keep Eric from the woman who had captured his heart.

Sookie stood in front of his chair, in almost the same place she had stood when they had first met. But this time she was ready for him.

"Eric," she said and smiled happily. She always felt happy when she saw him now.

"Lover," he purred, and she could have melted onto the floor. "What are you doing here? I thought you had work tonight. Were you just that excited about our 'date'?"

Sookie grinned. "I'm not here for our date Eric. I needed to talk to you."

He shifted back in his seat and motioned for Sookie to sit next to him in a chair Pam had provided. She sat and Eric said, "So talk."

"Oh Eric, Tara is dead," she said, upset.

"Tara?" Eric didn't know of any vampires named Tara, so this must be a human acquaintance of Sookie's.

"My best friend. The one who cut me."

Eric snarled. That bitch was supposed to be Sookie's best friend? "You need better friends, lover." His voice was low.

"Well she's dead now, Eric." Sookie still couldn't believe it.

"So what do you want me to do about it?" Eric relaxed and focused half his attention on the crowd in front of them.

"Well, she was killed by… " Sookie gulped and then whispered in the smallest voice possible, knowing he would still hear it, "a vampire."

Eric's finely-tuned ears caught Sookie's last two words. Instantly he was furious, his fangs dropped, and he whirled to look Sookie in the eyes. "My office. NOW." He wasn't exactly roaring, but most of the crowd had seen his abrupt change in mood and heard his shout. They wanted him to stay; this could be entertaining.

Eric guided Sookie back to his office swiftly and soon they were inside with the door shut tightly.

"Could you have a little more sense, Sookie?" Eric was trying to remain calm; this was his love, and she looked smoking tonight, and if he wanted to kiss her later then it was important she not be angry with him.

"What?" Sookie still didn't know what was going on.

"Accusing a vampire of killing your 'friend'," the word was full of scorn, "in a room full of VAMPIRES?" He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "You must be out of your mind," he muttered.

Sookie now realized how stupid that was. "Sorry, Eric."

"Come here." He held her close to his chest and felt her racing heart start to calm. "I didn't mean to scare you," he said softly.

"It's alright, Eric." Sookie's body was singing just being this close to him. How could she have said they should stop having sex? He just felt so go next to her. She suddenly wanted to push him down on the couch and have her way with him. Wait. She was here for a reason.

She broke his hug and took a step back. "Eric, a vampire killed Tara."

"How do you know that?" Eric was skeptical but took her word for it.

"Her body was drained of blood, and she had puncture marks on her neck."

Eric suddenly looked contemplative. She wondered what had crossed his mind. He pursed his lips and then looked back down at her, "Sookie I know who killed Tara. I didn't think of it at first. I was too caught up in saving you. I forgot. Please, forgive me."

Sookie was jolted; how could he have known about this and not told her? A tendril of fear and worry wormed its way back into her mind. "Eric…" If he told her it was him, how could she still date him?

"Sookie, it was Bill." Eric let that soak in for a second.

Sookie looked ready to deny it. She scoffed, "Bill? Why would Bill have killed Tara?"

Eric looked pained, "He was there the night that I saved you. If he hadn't stopped Tara when he did…" he trailed off.

"Stopped Tara from doing what?"

"She was about to plunge a ceremonial knife into your abdomen." When Sookie looked blankly at him, he repeated, "She was going to stab you in the stomach."

Sookie felt lightheaded, so she sat down abruptly on the couch. Tara would have killed her? But Bill had killed Tara instead?

"But why did Bill have to kill her?" Sookie felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Because I hadn't fed in days," came a deep Southern voice from the doorway.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hi Guys! Thanks for all the reviews – both positive and constructive. Please thank my beta VampLover1 for taking time to make me look like I'm a better writer than I am. Also, once this story is done I will go back and edit it – look for continuity errors as well as make sure the tone is right between chapters. But till then please keep reading and reviewing!! **

"But why did Bill have to kill her?" Sookie felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Because I hadn't fed in days," came a deep Southern voice from the doorway.

***

**CHAPTER 12**

"Sookie," his voice was almost pleading, "I'm sorry about Tara. But after you scorned me, I did not have the energy to feed myself. I never wanted to feed again if you weren't going to be mine."

"Bill," Sookie started to say. Bill looked healthy, with an almost rosy complexion, but then he stepped into the room and the light hit his face. The cold pain that reflected out of his eyes overwhelmed his otherwise healthy appearance. He looked hollow. Sookie was taken aback. She had never seen him like this before.

Bill would not be dissuaded, "Let me finish. So when I felt the danger you were in, I came to your aid. I did not consider the consequences of having not fed. When your friend Tara was about to kill you, I attacked her." He winced, and then continued hesitantly, "The smell of your blood overwhelmed me and I could not control my instincts."

Sookie looked down at her hands in her lap and tried not to cry. All of her self-righteous anger evaporated.

Her former best friend had been killed by her former lover; it was a little overwhelming.

"I'm sorry, Sookie," Bill said quietly.

She looked at him and blinked quickly, trying to keep the tears from her eyes. Eric could tell how upset she was and sat next to her, not quite sure how to comfort her. She could feel his indecision through their bond as he tried to send reassuring emotions her way.

"I can't believe she's dead. That you killed her." A single tear rolled down Sookie's cheek.

"I know you probably won't be able to forgive me, Sookie. But know that I had your best interests in mind."

"Right," Sookie wasn't sure what to believe anymore.

Suddenly, the sounds of shouts and shattering glass came from the front of the bar. Eric stood up quickly and his fangs shot out. Sookie looked from him to Bill. Bill had turned towards the door and his fangs were fully extended, as well. While the two vampires couldn't agree on much, they both wanted to protect Sookie at all costs.

Then, as sudden as it started, the shouting died down. The door to Eric's office burst open. Pam stood there, her hair a little disheveled. Her smile showed a face full of fangs, and Eric barked a question at her.

"What happened?"

"A stupid human tried to come in and stake some of us. Kept screaming your name, Sheriff, and that he was going to kill you." Pam motioned to someone in the hallway. "However, it's not like some little human would be able to overpower any of us, Master."

The bouncer came in pulling a struggling man whose head was covered with a cloth bag. Sookie dropped her shields but only had to listen for a second before she exclaimed in surprise, "Eggs?"

The man in question whipped his head towards Sookie's voice. "Sookie?"

Sookie rushed to his side and pulled the bag off his head. Eggs started to struggle again, but the bouncer held his arms tightly behind his back.

Pam looked curiously at Sookie, "And how do you know a man who would carry this?" She held up a stake that was made of dark polished wood. It looked very professional and Sookie wondered where Eggs would have gotten something like that.

Bill hissed at the sight of the stake and Eric's eyes simply narrowed.

"Eggs? How could you?" Sookie took a step away from the bound man and towards the protective duo behind her.

Eggs struggled again, his eyes wild, "Of course you'd be here, Sookie, consorting with these _beasts_. I'm here for Tara. Which one of these bloodsuckers are you with now? I knew that there was more than one, after the way you acted last night," Eggs was just rambling, "You're such a vampire whore, sleeping with both of them. Little bitch."

Sookie was taken aback. This was neither the sweet gentle Eggs she had met through Tara nor the sadistic Eggs she had known when he had been under Maryann's spell. She realized this must be the true Eggs, the one underneath all the masks.

Eric slapped him across the face and hissed, "No one calls my lover a whore." His words were deadly serious.

Eggs' rambling stopped, and he spit at Eric.

That was the wrong move. Eric wrapped a hand around Eggs' neck and pulled him forcefully out of the bouncer's grasp. Sookie heard a pop and one of Eggs' shoulders was dislocated. She winced.

"Why are you here?" Eric commanded, looking the man right in the eye, glamouring him in an instant.

"To kill Eric Northman because he killed my love," came his choked reply.

"Put him down this instant, Eric!" Sookie said anxiously and expected to be obeyed. But Eric was in full vampire Sheriff mode. This man had threatened his business, his vampires, and his own person.

"I did not kill your love, nor will you ever be able to avenge her death. Let it go," Eric told the doomed man.

Any fight left in Eggs died in that instant. It was obvious to everyone in that room that Eggs was just waiting for Eric to kill him.

"Eric! Stop!" Sookie pulled on his rock hard arm to get him to let the poor man go. Didn't he understand that Eggs was hurting because the woman he loved had died? "Eric! Please stop!" She stamped her foot, but throwing a tantrum wasn't going to make this any better.

"Sheriff," a calm voice emanated from Bill. Eric turned and looked at him.

"He could give us information about the maenad." This was the first sensible thing that Bill had said all night.

Pam agreed. "The mainstreamer has a point, Eric. He could help solve the maenad problem. "

Sookie's entire body relaxed when Eric dropped Eggs to the floor indecorously. The bouncer quickly scrambled to pick the half-dead man back up, but Eggs didn't move -- he was unconscious.

Eric barked an order, "Pam. Ropes."

Pam disappeared with a wink, and Sookie had the sickening sensation that Pam knew where the ropes were for a reason, and they were used more often for pleasure than pain. Sookie sat back on the sofa and sighed. It made the tops of her breasts strain against her blouse. She straightened her shirt and groaned to herself, "Of course I had to wear a cute outfit on the night we have to get dirty."

Her words didn't escape Eric's notice. He leaned over next to her and whispered in her ear, "I'm sure we can find other ways to get dirty later."

Sookie blushed furiously and slapped Eric lightly on the shoulder, "You're such a naughty boy."

"Only when you want me to be." It was evident that the recent mix of torture and her tight top had given him quite a hard-on.

"When you two are finished making the rest of us nauseous, can we get back to our little information session?" Pam commented dryly, smirking from the other side of the small room. She had obviously heard their entire exchange.

Eric stood and turned towards Pam, giving Sookie a nice view of his tight ass. "Absolutely, Pam my dear. Sookie was just telling me how much she likes to get dirty. We may have to borrow those ropes from you later." Sookie couldn't see his face but she could hear the humor in his voice. She glared at his back and slapped him on the ass.

Eric smirked, "See? She's getting frisky already!" Sookie blushed again and was glad that Eggs wasn't awake to hear this exchange.

Bill looked at her awkwardly from the corner. Sookie had forgotten that he was standing there. Well that was just peachy; by now, her blush felt permanent and she wanted to sink into the sofa and disappear. How did Eric make her feel so comfortable and turned on at the same time?

The sound of someone being slapped drew her out of her thoughts. Pam stood in front of Eggs and was slapping him awake. A moan came from his throat and he stirred in his chair. The ropes circled his body and his hands were tied behind him.

Pam grinned maniacally and stroked Eggs cheek. "Good morning, sunshine." Sookie shivered. She never wanted to wake up in Pam's clutches. Eggs must have felt the same way, and he started to struggle but then gasped in pain. A dislocated shoulder made it tough for anyone to move.

Moving aside, Pam allowed Eric to have direct access to their prisoner. Eric towered above the man tied to the chair in front of him. Using a mixture of his dominating personality and his vampire glamour, he ordered the cowed man, "Tell us about the maenad."

"Maenad?" came Egg's shaky reply.

"The demon you work for. The maenad." Eric wasn't playing around. He wanted straight answers.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sookie could tell that Eggs was telling the truth, but Eric didn't know that. As the vampire Sheriff hauled back to slap the man across the face again, Sookie stood up and yelled, "Stop!"

This time Eric listened to her, pausing mid-swing. He growled, "What is it, Sookie?"

"He is telling the truth." Sookie walked over towards the bound man. "He doesn't know what you're talking about."

Looking Eggs in the eyes, she touched his leg, connecting to him on a physical level. This allowed her to have a better sense of his thoughts. "What is Maryann?" she asked him simply.

His thoughts swirled through his head, _She has given me everything. She gave me a home, a place I felt safe. She gave me Tara._ "She is the woman who gave me back my life," he said aloud. Sookie could see flashes of Tara and Eggs sitting by the pool, and she felt his deep love for her former friend. Tears came to Sookie's eyes.

She took a deep breath and tried again, this time delving deeper into his mind, into his subconscious, the place where he was the black-eyed Eggs. Eric stood behind her, watching the process take place. "Why did she want me dead?" Sookie asked.

An initial look of shock crossed Eggs' face and then it was as if Sookie had found almost the right nerve, _She was told that you were the quarry to kill. She wanted the shifter, but was told otherwise. _Sookie took a step back, breaking the physical bond. She turned and put her face into Eric's chest. Someone wanted her dead.

Eric stroked her back and asked her gently, "What did you see my love?" He could strongly feel her fear and revulsion through their bond and wanted to comfort her.

"Someone wants me dead. Someone told Maryann to kill me. Maryann wanted to kill Sam, but then someone told her to kill me instead." Holding tight to the tall vampire's black racerback shirt , her entire body was tired, Sookie wanted this to be over. She was tired of people trying to kill her.

Eric moved her to his side and wrapped one arm around her body. With the other hand he grabbed Egg's shirtfront and looked him the eye. Using the full force of his 1000 year-old influence, he asked, "Who wants to kill my Sookie?"

Bill growled from the back of the room, strongly disliking Eric's choice of words. Seeing Sookie in Eric's arms was almost too much. Pam laughed at his obvious discomfort.

Eggs replied slowly, as if it was coming not from his conscious mind but somewhere deep in his subconscious. "I never met her. She heard about Maryann being in Bon Temps and contacted her. Said that if Sookie died then Maryann would have no trouble taking the town as her own. That Sookie was the key to making the vampires leave."

Eric growled, "So this mysterious woman thought that if Sookie was dead then the rest of us would just leave?" It was half question, half statement.

"And then she could kill Sam. And there would be no one to stop her." Eggs' voice was still distant. Sookie broke away from Eric's embrace and touched Eggs again. This time it was easy to slip into his mind and subconscious. She disliked doing this; it was slippery and seemed wrong to delve into someone's deepest thoughts. _She knows Sookie is still alive. I told her. The hunt is still on._

"Eric." Sookie's voice was shaky, "Maryann knows I'm alive. She still has to kill me before she kills Sam."

"How do we stop Maryann from killing again?" She had to protect herself, as well as her shifter boss.

Thoughts flew through Eggs' mind. Images of Maryann with a bull's head, her with claws, chasing people through the forest. Thoughts of huge bonfires and orgies. Sookie pushed harder, wanting a real answer.

Eggs' thoughts then took her to the knife that had sliced parts of Sookie's own skin off. She shuddered at the thought but held strong. She felt Eric's hand on her back, giving her the energy to continue through their shared bond. She saw the knife again, and then the image of the bull-headed Maryann. Those two images flashed through Eggs' mind over and over.

The dark twisted part of Eggs spoke, "You'll never be able to defeat her. Someone with a beating heart must strike her down. But a mere human could never get close enough to destroy her. She is too powerful in her true form. She will continue existing until the God Who Comes takes her as his bride." His eyes turned black and he began chanting, "Lo lo bromios, lo lo eutherios, lo lo bromios…" Sookie stepped away from the possessed man.

"She has to be killed by the ceremonial knife that was used to cut me. And she can only be killed in her true form, as the bull-headed beast." Her voice was shaky and Eric ushered her over to the sofa where she collapsed, holding her head in her hands.

Eric sat down next to her and held her close while he issued orders. "Pam, find the shifter. Bring him here, tell him it's for his own protection."

"What if he doesn't listen?" Pam had her hands on her hips.

Eric growled, "Tell him it's for Sookie's safety, then." He looked over at Bill who still stood in the corner, impassive.

"Deal with him," he ordered, inclining his head towards the bound man still intoning the mystical words, "His chanting is starting to give me a headache."

Bill's eyebrows shot up. But he nodded and lifted the bound man off the chair and swung him over his shoulder. They exited, Eggs' chanting echoing down the hallway.

The door swung shut and Eric and Sookie were finally alone. She was so overwhelmed that she couldn't even consider what Bill was doing to Eggs. It didn't matter. Sookie leaned against Eric's hard body and sighed. He stroked her hair, and she turned to look at him. "Why does everyone want to kill me?"

Eric looked softly at her, "I'll protect you, lover."

She buried her head back into his chest. He smelled so good, "Oh, Eric." It felt right to be held by this powerful vampire. Her blood was singing at his touch and a large part of her wanted them to have sex on every surface in his office. Right now.

"It was good to see you, tonight." Eric continued stroking her back, his fingers creating a fire between her legs. "Even under the circumstances."

Sookie groaned and looked up at him, "It's always good to see you, Eric. I just wish it didn't coincide with my life being threatened on a regular basis."

"Soon that won't happen anymore, my love. I will protect you." Sookie could feel the strength he projected, and she wanted him even more.

Her eyes were full of desire. "You're too tempting for your own good. How is a girl supposed to be scared with you around?" The effect of their bond had drained her sad, worried energy and replaced it with an insatiable lust.

Eric grinned, his smile melting the very core of Sookie's being. "I could scare you, if you like." His fangs popped out and he faked a growl at her. She unconsciously wet her lips and reached a hand up to his cheek. He leaned into her touch, loving the feeling of her soft warm skin against his face.

She let her fingers run down the side of his face, stopping at his lips. He gave them a little kiss and then she gently stroked his fangs with two of her fingers. His eyes rolled back in his head. He could feel her pulse like it was inside of him, and it made him as hard as a rock.

He pushed her back onto the sofa, pulling himself on top of her. Her breasts heaved up and down, her body betraying her excitement at his touch. They both paused momentarily, staring into each others eyes. It was like their souls were meeting, and Eric couldn't take it any longer.

His mouth plunged down on hers, and their tongues intertwined. He pulled her closer and her tongue slipped against one of his fangs, cutting it. He sucked on her tongue, tasting her metallic and salty sweet blood in his mouth. Eric moaned; she just tasted _so_ good.

Sookie ran her fingers through his hair; she could feel his hard-on pushing against her and wanted to dive deep into her warm center. She kissed him more assionately, their bond intensifying their emotions.

The vampire growled and broke the kiss long enough to rip open her top. Buttons flew across the room, and Sookie thought that Eric was going to have to start buying her new clothes if he was going to destroy them on a whim. His hands slipped up and unhooked her bra. It was suddenly on the other side of the room, and Eric's lips were on Sookie's bare breast. His fingers twisted her other nipple, and Sookie couldn't contain the long moan that was torn from her lips.

"Oh Eric!' she groaned, and with one hand held him close to her body. He complied with her wishes and bit gently at her breast. His fangs slid gently into her skin, and he drank greedily from the punctures. She was as good as he remembered, and he knew that he could drink from her every night for the rest of his existence and never tire of her taste.

Her fingernails dug into his back as she tried to grind her hips into him. She wanted more of him, knowing that she could handle his immense girth.

"Eric!" she gasped, her heart pounding. Eric stopped sucking and licked the wounds. He looked up at her, and she saw her own blood trickling down his chin. "Come here," she growled. Eric would have laughed at her dominant tone if she hadn't been so sexy. He could smell that she was aroused, and he would do anything to appease the sex goddess in front of him.

His mouth met hers again, and Sookie could taste her own blood in her mouth. Their tongues danced against each other's and she grappled at the edge of his shirt. After pulling it up, they broke their kiss long enough to get it off of him. His body was the picture of perfection, and Sookie couldn't believe that such a beautiful man would want her. But then they kissed again and all of Sookie's fears vanished.

He rocked his hips into hers and they both moaned. It was obvious that they wanted each other. Sookie reached down and fumbled with his belt buckle. He understood what she wanted and quickly stood to unbuckle his belt and drop his pants. Eric wasn't wearing anything underneath, and Sookie was soon graced with a vision of his manhood. It seemed even larger than she remembered.

"Oh, Eric." Those were the only words that she was able to say and suddenly he was on her again. He pulled at her jeans, and they were unbuttoned and around her ankles in no time. He yanked them the rest of the way off. She stood and approached him wearing nothing but black lace underwear with white embroidery. Eric backed himself up against his desk, "Come here, lover." His voice was husky with desire.

She sauntered over to him, feeling sexy and on fire. She wanted him to touch her everywhere. Sookie wrapped her arms around his neck and slid her mostly naked body against his. "Something I can do for you, Eric?"

"Oh gods," he groaned. She kissed him softly on the lips and then down his neck. She nipped at him playfully, causing him to groan again. Her tongue against his skin, she licked down his chest, enjoying the definition of his muscles.

He watched her lick down his body; her warm tongue teased against his cold skin. Her hair fell gracefully over her neck on one side, and her ass looked great in that tight black lace. He moaned again. He just wanted to grab her by the hair and have his way with her.

Then Sookie slipped her lips over his engorged manhood and all of his thoughts were gone. It was all sensation, wet, warm and soft. She bobbed her mouth up and down on his hard cock, and her tongue worked the underside, turning him on even more. He could hardly control himself. He wanted her so badly, but this felt _so_ good.

She kneeled before him and teased her strong vampire. Her tongue made circles around the head of his cock, and she slid her mouth back down once more, taking him as far as she could without choking. Then she pulled off him with a pop.

From her knees, she looked up at him and smiled seductively. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up, kissing her forcefully on the lips. "God, I want you, woman." His voice was commanding, making Sookie melt in his grasp. Any reserve she had fled her body, and she relaxed completely, waiting for him to take her.

They continued kissing passionately until someone cleared their throat. "Well I guess this means there's no date." Pam stood in the doorway surveying the two nearly-naked lovers. "And I had such a good date planned. I'm very disappointed."

Sookie froze and blushed. She was sure her entire body had turned red from embarrassment. Eric growled over her shoulder at his second-in-command. "Get out, Pam."

"Well I would, Master dearest," she said in her most obediently insincere voice, "but the shifter is here to see you."

"Sookie?" came Sam's voice from the hallway. "What is going on?"

"Sam?!" Sookie was distraught. Here she was, practically naked in the arms of a vampire, and now her boss was about to walk in on them. Shit.

"Give us a minute, Sam!" Sookie glared over her shoulder at Pam who smirked back.

"Cute undies, Sookie," Pam said wickedly. "I guess I could give you a moment to get decent." She leaned out in the hallway and looked at Sam, "Wait here, Dog." Sookie knew Sam wouldn't be too keen about that idea.

"I'm okay, Sam. Just give me a second!" She was so embarrassed.

Pam walked back into the room and shut the door. She picked up Sookie's shirt, which Eric had destroyed. "Well it looks like you'll be wearing Fangtasia clothing again. You certainly enjoy being topless around here, don't you, Sookie?" Pam could hardly contain her laughter.

"Pam," Eric's voice warned her, and he pulled his pants back on over his hard-on. Even with the shifter standing outside, he still wanted to be inside Sookie.

"Fine. Fine." Pam turned and faced the wall while Sookie quickly got dressed. Eric handed her his racerback shirt and then grabbed an extra for himself out of one of his desk drawers. "Never know when you might need an extra." He smirked at Sookie who was still blushing furiously. She knew her hair must be a mess, and she couldn't even imagine what Sam must be thinking.

"Not funny, Eric." She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to straighten it. It was a losing battle.

"I'm always funny, lover." He kissed her on the tip of her nose and then sat behind his desk. Sookie plopped back down on the sofa and tried to stop looking so red in the face.

"Pam, you may let our visitor in." Pam turned back around and rolled her eyes at both of them.

"Yes, Master." Her direct sarcasm at the Sheriff would have gotten any other vampire a slap in the face, but Pam could get away with almost anything. She went back over to the door and opened it, letting a furious-looking shifter into the room.

Sam's eyes were dilated and Sookie could tell that he was angry and worried about her safety. "I'm fine, Sam." Sookie tried to smile, but it felt fake on her face. She blushed again.

"What was that vamp doing to you, Sookie? Are you alright?" he asked, rushing to Sookie's side. When he sat next to her on the couch, Eric growled softly. Sam stared daggers back at the ancient vampire.

"Really, I'm fine Sam," She pulled at the shirt that was two sizes too big for her.

"Yes, Sam." Eric's voice was condescending. "She's fine. And we would have been more than fine if you hadn't shown up."

"Eric!" Sookie couldn't believe him. Men!

Sam suddenly sniffed the air and he stared at Sookie. She blushed again. Red should really be her permanent coloring, for the amount of embarrassment that she went through.

"Oh," was all that Sam said.

"Exactly, Shifter." Eric smiled at him, territorially.

"Then what do you need me for? I guess I should just leave the two of you to it." Sam stood up from the couch. "I thought that Sookie was in danger, so here I am. And all I find is her in your arms. Is this your new form of torture, vampire?"

"Sam," Sookie begged. She knew that he had every right to be angry, but he needed to know the dire nature of the situation. "We need to talk. We're both in danger!"

"What? You and the vampire?" Sam was disbelieving.

Sookie took his hand, making Eric growl. He was still in possessive mode. "I mean you and me, Sam. Maryann is hunting both of us now."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N****: Thanks for being patient everyone! I had major writer's block and then real life got in the way for a bit. Thanks to VampLover1 (Jodi) for being the best beta ever! **

**I hope to have the next chapter up in a couple days. Reviews really help motivate me to write so PLEASE let me know what you think!! **

**Chapter 13**

"What?"

Sam's reaction was a reasonable one. He looked Sookie dead in the eye as she repeated herself. "Maryann is hunting both of us now. She wants both of us dead."

Sam uncrossed his arms. "Well then, I have to stop her. This has gone on far too long."

"Sam," Sookie exclaimed, "you can't do it by yourself. She's too strong."

Sam knew that was true, but said, "Maryann is my problem. I brought her here. I will be the one who destroys her."

"And the one who dies in the process," came Eric's drawling voice.

"Why do you care if I die?" Sam spat.

"I don't," came Eric's bored reply, "but Sookie does."

And indeed Sookie did. Just thinking about Sam dying made her want to burst into tears. She couldn't let her boss and one of her good friends die on her behalf.

"We'll fight her together."

"No, Sookie!" two voices exclaimed.

"Yes. You're not keeping me from this. She wants to kill me too, remember?" Sookie was indignant.

"It's not safe, Sook," Sam tried to hug her but she batted him away, much to Eric's enjoyment.

"It doesn't matter whether it's _safe _or not." She rolled her eyes, "Since meeting vampires, nothing about my life has been safe."

Eric nodded. "It may be wise to concede this point to her, Shifter." Sookie could tell that Eric didn't like relinquishing control.

Sam threw up his arms and sat down heavily on the black leather sofa. "Glad to see you want to keep her safe, Vampire." His tone was as sarcastic as the sweet-natured Sam could muster.

"Glad we figured that out," Sookie smiled at both men.

"Don't think this means that I'm going to let you go into battle without _any_ protection." Eric came around the desk, standing right next to Sookie, his size overwhelming her slight form.

"That's fine, Eric, I just don't want to be left out of it entirely." Sookie tried to remain defiant in Eric's towering presence.

Eric leaned down and whispered, "Never." He kissed her on the top of the head and stepped away.

Sam had averted his eyes. "So are we going to discuss how to get rid of Maryann? Or am I going to have to sit here and watch you two flirt with each other all night?"

The desperate tone in his voice made Sookie laugh. "Of course, Sam." She sat next to him and Eric looked momentarily territorial but then forced himself to relax and returned to his chair behind the desk.

Sam ran his fingers through his hair. "Maryann has been around forever, how are we going to figure out how to kill her? We know she's a maenad, but we don't know her weaknesses, or if she even has any."

"That's where you're wrong Sam," Sookie broke in.

"What do you mean?" Sam looked at the both of them incredulously. "What did you do?"

"A little torture never hurt anyone." Eric loved shocking the bar-owning Shifter.

"Sookie? How could you let Eric torture someone for you!" Sam was automatically incensed. Eric was pleased.

"Eric, stop telling Sam lies." Sam relaxed but then Sookie thought about it for a moment. "Well, okay, there was a little bit of torture."

"Sookie!"

"It's okay, Sam, I wouldn't let Eric go too far."

She threw a meaningful look at the vampire who sat behind the desk. Eric grumbled silently to himself that women shouldn't be allowed to have the upper hand; if only it had been the early 1100s, then he could have shown her what _real_ torture was.

Sookie ignored Eric and turned back to Sam, "I used my telepathy. Eggs told me everything. Well, almost everything."

"Eggs?" Sam was surprised.

"He tried to kill Eric tonight." Sookie's voice was soft, trying not to recall the night's more stressful moments.

"Obviously he did not come close." Eric was smug. "My people handled him quite efficiently."

Sam sneered, "Of course they did."

"Stop it, you two." Sookie glared at both men and then settled back on the couch. "I was thinking that we'd have to trick her somehow, make her try to offer a sacrifice to her god."

"Her god?" Sam was confused.

Eric decided to explain and save both of them the trouble, "Maryann worships the 'God Who Comes' a mythical being who is supposed to be some form of Bacchus or Dionysus, the god of wine and revelry. When she sacrifices a two-natured person, like you Sam," Eric nodded to the shifter, "or apparently you, my lover," Sookie blushed, "and she does all the proper rituals, then her god appears before her. I don't know what happens after that, but one can assume they would mate or something along those lines."

"How do you know that, Eric?" Sookie was still blushing, but it was starting to fade.

"Well, I'm simply assuming this, Sookie, but I have seen similar sacrifices made with similar results."

"Oh." That was all she could think to say. Sam took her hand and patted it.

The Viking stared daggers at Sam but continued. "When she is committing the sacrifice, she will be vulnerable, just like Eggs said. The god must be able to take her fully, in human form, so that she can bear his offspring."

"So that's the only time she's human, or something close to human?" Sam was starting to see the big picture.

"Yes. Now with what we learned from Eggs," Eric smiled wickedly at Sookie and she took her hand out of Sam's grasp, "the maenad must be killed by someone with a beating heart. So that counts me out, as well as any other vampire."

"I'll do it." Sam was insistent.

"Sam!" Sookie really didn't want to see Sam hurt.

"Yes, I think that is best." Eric pressed his fingertips together in thought, "But that means we need bait."

"Why can't I be both?" Sam didn't want Sookie involved in this, and he could tell where this was going.

"Because we need you to wield the knife that kills her." Eric couldn't believe Sam was being so dense.

"That means I'm the bait…" Sookie trailed off when she realized what the men were talking about.

"No. I won't allow it." Sam stood up and approached Eric's desk.

In a flash, Eric had come around the desk and was holding Sam by the throat, pinning him to the desk. All of the papers had flown off in the sudden movement, and Sam was choking a bit within Eric's tight grip. Sookie rushed to her boss's side.

"Eric!"

Eric didn't listen; he focused completely on the shifter. "Neither of us is going to be happy about this, but she _will_ be safe. I guarantee it."

Sam glared at Eric and then nodded slowly. Eric let go and Sam sat up, massaging his throat with one hand. Sookie looked to see if Eric had bruised Sam's skin, and not seeing any marks, she gave Sam a slight smile in apology.

Eric went to a black cabinet that stood against one of the walls and opened the bottom drawer. From inside he pulled a deep cherry-colored box. It was elegant, with gold hinges and a gold clasp holding the box closed. There were intricate carved designs on the top and sides which looked hand-carved.

Reverently, Eric placed the box on his desk. Then with one fingernail, he flipped open the clasp and pushed the lid back. Sookie gasped as the chest opened. Inside, on black satin fabric, lay a long dagger. The blade was a burnished gold color and looked well tended. Eric ran a hand down the side of the blade, caressing the sharp instrument. The hilt of the dagger had been forged in the shape of a dragon-- the head was the pommel and the body was the grip. In the dragon's mouth was a blood-red stone that shone slightly in the fluorescent overhead light.

"Wow," Sam said, staring at the blade before them.

Eric pulled it out of its case and pointed it almost menacingly at Sam, then flipped it over so that the hilt faced the bar-owner. "Take it," Eric motioned with the blade.

Sam grasped the grip and held up the slight blade. "This is a beautiful piece, Eric."

"I've had it for a long time," he said as he closed the box with a sudden bang. "Use it to kill the maenad."

"You have my word." Sam did a half salute with the blade, and Sookie just stared at the two former rivals, now bound by a common enemy and a blade.

Then, Sam wrapped the blade in a piece of cloth Eric had placed on the table between them and stuck it in his belt at the small of his back.

"I have to plan." Eric set the box back into the cabinet and sat at his desk. "Will you take Sookie home, Shifter?" This time there was no menace in his voice over the word 'shifter.'

"Eric?" Sookie protested.

"Go with him Sookie. I will come to you before sunrise and bring a daytime guard. I want to be in your house when I awake tomorrow night." He nodded to Sam. "I expect you to keep her safe until I arrive with reinforcements."

"Absolutely." Sam was confident.

Sookie went around the desk and wrapped her arms around Eric's neck. She buried her face in his chest and breathed deeply. "Stay safe, my love." The Viking was momentarily taken aback by her declaration of love. Then he wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear, "_You_ stay safe, lover. I don't need to be rescuing you again."

He kissed her softly on the lips while Sam tried to look away. The sight of the two of them still made him sick, but it was obvious that they cared for one another.

They continued kissing until Sam finally cleared his throat. "Okay, Sookie, let's head out."

Sookie's lips left Eric's, and they both regretted the loss of contact immediately. Sookie gave Eric a wistful look, and he motioned her towards the waiting Sam. He really did have to plan an attack strategy before tomorrow night.

"Good night, Sookie."

"I'll see you at my house, Eric," Sookie said, missing him already. Still, she walked around the desk to where Sam was waiting in the doorframe. Pam had appeared to escort them, and they followed the blonde vampire out of the club.

Eric sighed, rubbed his hands on his eyes and leaned back in his desk chair; he needed to make sure that this went off perfectly. Sookie meant too much to him to risk, especially since she was now his.

***

Maryann stared at Eggs, who was sitting on her front porch babbling to himself. Carl had found him a few minutes earlier and had immediately alerted Maryann. The young man had done nothing but alternate between whispering "lo lo bromios" and "Tara, Tara, Tara," over and over again.

"Stand up," she ordered. She did not tolerate this sort of madness. The only madness around here should be the kind _she_ instituted.

Eggs just sat there, rocking back and forth.

"Looks like you have a problem," came a voice from behind Maryann.

"Nothing I can't handle." Maryann narrowed her eyes, "And I would appreciate you staying out of _my_ business."

A soft chuckle came from the woman's mouth. This caught Eggs' attention, and he stared into the eyes of a tall, dark haired vampire woman. The woman leaned over and looked him hard in the eyes. "He has been glamoured."

"Leave him alone." Maryann didn't want her messing with Eggs.

She stood back up. "So I guess that means you aren't interested in who glamoured this bloodbag of yours. Glad to see that you're on top of things." The sarcasm in the vampire's voice was lethal.

"It will be under control." Maryann helped Eggs to stand and walked him inside the house. "I have no doubt that I will soon have both Sam Merlotte and Sookie Stackhouse in my grip again."

The brunette vampire flung herself down into a chair and inspected her nails. "Well, I suppose you better."

Maryann was starting to hate this vampire. "And if I don't?" She rose to her full height and began to vibrate herself into ecstasy. Who said this woman had more power than she did? Lies. She was far older and far more powerful than this vampire ever would be.

Eggs cowered on the couch, and his eyes went black. Exposure to the power that Maryann held immediately made him subservient to her, and his madness evaporated as if it had never been. He looked hard at the vampire woman sitting on the white settee; she looked like she would kill anyone if given half a chance.

"If you do not deliver the girl, I will not give you this." The female held up a vial of blue liquid. Maryann stopped vibrating.

"You have it with you?" The maenad was thrilled; this was the missing component to her sacrifice. This would allow The God Who Comes to commune with her. She would succeed where so many of her sisters had failed. She would not fade into oblivion; she would be the consort of The God Who Comes!

"I upheld my end of the bargain." Those were the only words that had to pass the vampire's lips.

"Then I shall make certain to uphold mine." Maryann's eyes flashed. "Sookie Stackhouse will be yours by tomorrow night."

Bug-eyed Eggs tried to remember something. It was like there was a hole in his memory. However, he focused on the name Sookie Stackhouse. Then suddenly, pieces began coming back. Sookie at Fangtasia, Eric Northman, The other vampires, they had tortured him. They wanted him to tell them something.

Then he had a memory of being forcibly escorted from the vampire bar. And seeing Sam Merlotte, the owner of Merlotte's, walking in with the blonde female vampire. She had been smirking, and Sam had looked worried.

"Sam and Sookie are together." The words jumped from Eggs' lips before he could stop and collect all of his thoughts.

"What?" Both the maenad and the vampire focused their attention on him.

"Sam and Sookie are together. They were with Eric Northman and another vampire at Fangtasia." Eggs' eyes reflected the image of the vampire woman suddenly appearing in front of him, having left the settee in a rush.

"_Who_ was the other vampire?" She grabbed his chin and tilted it up roughly.

"Two vampires," Eggs choked out. "Blonde female, brunette male."

"Names, you bloodbag!" Maryann moved to stop her, but she slapped Eggs hard against his face. He giggled, violence was fun!

She growled at him and looked him straight in the eye, trying to glamour him. Maryann touched the vampire on the elbow but was knocked back into a wall by the vamp. Hitting her head did little to stop the maenad though.

"Enough."

The brunette vamp swung her head around and looked at Maryann. "It is enough when _I_ say it's enough." She turned back and forced her will on Eggs, damaging his mind even further.

He cried out in pain, and the vampire said again, "Name."

Eggs tried to catch his breath, but she wrapped a hand around his neck, lifting him up in the air. He struggled vainly, his fingernails scraping against her skin but inflicting little damage. Just as he was about to pass out, a word floated out of his lips.

"Bill."

She dropped him unceremoniously on the floor. Maryann looked perturbed but made no motion to help the semi-conscious man to his feet or even onto the sofa.

"I think I will make an appearance at Merlotte's tonight," Maryann commented. "It's time my minions started to earn their keep." She looked at the very satisfied-looking vampire. "If Sam and Sookie are together, then they will be found and brought to me."

"To _us_, you mean." She sounded gentle again, but everyone in the room knew it was just a temporary disguise.

"To us," Maryann agreed. "And then I will get my elixir?"

Lorena smiled. "Just as soon as Bill is mine again, and Sookie is dead."

*********

**Announcing a new one-shot contest for Virgin and Nearly-Virgin writers! If you've always wanted to try your hand at writing fan-fiction, here's your chance to pop your cherry with Eric Northman! **

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	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N: Surprise!! Here is a new chapter - only days after the last one was put up! Thanks for being so patient with me and for the reviews. And of course I have to thank VampLover1 for being a Goddess of a beta - she edited 2 chapters in 2 days. Amazing! **_

**Chapter 14**

Sookie hopped into Sam's truck, the shifter getting in on the driver's side and placing the dagger on the seat between them. Sookie looked out the windshield at the packed parking lot. The sky was still dark, but the clouds reflected the light of Shreveport's downtown. The city glow was something Sookie rarely saw, having lived in Bon Temps her entire life, and she wondered if vampires preferred cities because the nighttime light was as close as they could get to daylight.

"Buckled in?" Sam's voice broke her thoughts.

She grabbed the belt and pulled it across her chest, securing the metal tongue in place. "Yup!"

"Alright." Sam put the car in gear, and they left the Fangtasia parking lot.

Sookie had always felt comfortable around Sam; being in the car with him reminded her of the time they had driven to Monroe to find out about Drew and Cindy Marshall. In her mind, that had actually been a pretty fun day. She wished more days could be that way, but with her disability and now with vampires in her life, that didn't seem likely.

Sam pulled onto the highway and soon they were out of the city limits, heading into the dark roads of Louisiana backcountry. The scenery whipped past, a blur of trees, kudzu and unidentifiable dead-things on the side of the road.

"Sam?"

"Yeah, Sook?" Sam looked over at the blonde girl sitting on the bench seat next to him.

Sookie played with her hair, pulling it over her shoulder, "Do you really think you'll be able to kill Maryann?"

"I sure hope so, Sookie." Sam patted the dagger next to him. "This should help. Although I'm surprised Eric would lend it to me; it obviously has some special significance to him."

"He knew that you'd need it to kill Maryann," Sookie explained simply.

"Yeah, I suppose so," Sam said, still uncertain.

Sookie sat back quietly for a minute, then said, "So what is your plan?"

"Well, I figure that tonight I will stay with you 'til Eric comes. Then tomorrow night, we can plan with Eric how this faux sacrifice is supposed to go down." Sam scratched his forehead.

"I guess that makes sense," Sookie said as she straightened her Fangtasia t-shirt. "You don't think Eric will mind that you're staying with me 'til he gets there?"

"I think he expects it," Sam said. "I'm supposed to protect you until he can take over."

"Oh." Sookie went quiet.

The radio was tuned to a local country station, and it faded in and out as they got further and further from Shreveport. The static was broken every once in awhile with a couple bars from a Tim McGraw song but not enough to make out what he was saying. Sookie stared out at the passing countryside, and Sam kept his eyes on the road.

***

Maryann entered Merlotte's and most of the patrons turned to see who was coming in so late. There was only a handful of people left along with the last of the servers and cooks. Terry Bellefleur was managing in Sam's absence and was behind the bar pouring another drink for Jane Bodehouse.

Arlene came around the corner with a basket of fries in one hand. "Oh, hey there Maryann, you can sit anywhere you like. But I'd prefer it if you sat right over there." Arlene pointed to a booth near the kitchen. "It's just that I've cleaned most of the others for the night."

Maryann smiled but didn't make a move to sit. "I'm looking for Sam Merlotte."

"Sorry Maryann." Terry wiped down a glass and set it on the shelf behind the bar. "Sam ain't here tonight. He's gone to Shreveport on important business."

One of Maryann's eyebrows cocked up. So Eggs had been right. Sam was with Sookie tonight. She surveyed the people in the bar, noticing that most, if not all, of them had been to one of her parties. This certainly made her job easier.

Summoning the energy given to her from the God Who Comes, Maryann focused her power and began to vibrate, her body rising the air. Everyone stopped what they were doing and watched as Maryann began to levitate within the bar. Her head fell backwards and her long black hair streamed away from her body. The patrons who weren't quite sure what to do simply sat in their seats and watched; Arlene screamed and Terry palmed a knife while ducking for cover.

Maryann brought her head back up and spoke in a deep, ancient voice, "Bow before me, and serve me in honor of the God Who Comes!"

The patrons who had been looking straight at her immediately went bug-eyed and began chanting. The energy emanated off of Maryann's body and found those who were cowering in fear. The bar was quickly enthralled by Maryann's power.

Terry stood from where he had been hiding. The knife gleamed in his hand and he laughed softly, his eyes dark and wide. "And how may we serve you, Maryann?"

"I knew I liked the service in this place," Maryann chuckled as she lowered herself back to the floor.

"Yes," came Arlene's voice, "What can we do for you tonight?"

Maryann grinned. "When Sam Merlotte returns, capture him. He is to be sacrificed to the God Who Comes."

_The God Who Comes_!

The patrons in the bar were thrilled at the idea of a sacrifice. This really got their juices flowing. Jane Bodehouse thought that she was just going to have to seduce Marvin Jones who was sitting down the bar from her; she sidled up to him and began kissing him very vigorously. The rest of the customers thought this was hilarious and either started laughing or, in some cases, fucking.

"You will have him by morning," Terry told the maenad.

"If so, then you will _all_ be rewarded."

Maryann turned and began to walk to the door. The patrons continued to get riled up, taking off clothes, turning up the music and turning Merlotte's into an orgy. Maryann just smiled and walked away, the sound of things being broken echoing from inside the bar.

***

Soon the roads became more potholed, and Sookie knew they were getting close to Reynard Parish. Jason and the road crew did a good job taking care of the roads inside the Parish, but just outside the limits, the road was no longer their job. Sookie was always bugging Jason about this, but he said it had something to do with local government regulations, and Sookie hadn't bothered to ask any further.

Bumping up onto smooth pavement, Sookie felt at home. It was good to be back in her little town. She could tell Sam felt the same way by the slight smile on his face.

"Hey, I need to stop by my trailer and get a change of clothes, as well as my shotgun," Sam said. He had one hand on the steering wheel and one hand on the dagger.

"I have a shotgun at my house, Sam." Sookie was ready to be at home in bed, and Eric would be there in just a few hours. She was anxious to have him close by her.

"I want you to keep that one with you, and I want one to patrol the house with." Sam turned onto the road that led to Merlotte's.

"Alright, we'll just stop in quick. I want to make sure we're at home when Eric gets there."

"Sure thing, Sookie."

Sam checked the rearview mirror. The road had been empty for the last 45 minutes; there weren't many drivers out at this time of night. They pulled into the parking lot at Merlotte's, and the headlights flashed over the still-lit bar and the full parking lot. Sam looked confused, and Sookie wondered what was going on.

"Terry must still be closing up," came Sam's reassurance.

"But then why are there so many cars?" Sookie voiced Sam's worries as they pulled behind the bar, next to Sam's trailer. Sam turned off the car and looked at the blonde sitting next to him.

"You stay here, Sookie." Sam handed her the dagger. "I'm going to run in real fast and get what I need. When I get out of the truck, lock the doors and wait for me to return. Yell if you see _anyone_ coming who doesn't look quite right." They both knew that Sam meant anyone who had black bug-eyes.

"Sure, Sam," Sookie said nervously. "Just hurry back."

"Sure will, cher." He hopped out of the car, rushed up the steps of the trailer, and was inside in a flash. Sookie quickly pushed down the locks on the doors and waited patiently, getting more and more nervous by the second.

"Come on Sam, come on Sam," she whispered over and over. Her mind began to wander, and she relaxed her shield a bit to see if she could find out what was going on inside the bar. As she stretched her mind, she began to notice that there were a ton of people still in the bar, and they were all humming. Or something like that. Sookie couldn't quite reach their minds, but she could tell that they were all thinking similar thoughts.

***

Terry Bellefleur had seen the headlights from inside the bar and had quickly hurried to the window to see who had pulled in. It was Sam's Bronco. Time to initiate Operation: Bull. Terry had thought of the name himself; Sam was going to be the sacrificial bull for the God Who Comes. He laughed slightly to himself and then shouted to the rest of the room, "Alright!"

"Alright what?" came Jane Bodehouse's drunken reply.

"Sam is here!" The crowd perked up immediately, although Mike Spencer didn't stop humping the jukebox. That man had a one-track mind, even without Maryann's influence!

"Here's the plan. You half," Terry pointed at the side of the bar that had been using the pool table in less than hygienic ways, "Go around back and wait for my signal."

"What's the signal?" asked Rosie.

"I'll whistle when it's time." Terry was in full combat mode now.

"I bet you sure can whistle," Rosie came over and ran her fingers up and down Terry's chest. He ignored her; he had a job to do!

"And what about us?" piped in Arlene.

"Y'all are coming with me." Terry grabbed the baseball bat that was usually kept in Sam's office and then headed out the front door.

"Oooh! Secret mission!" squealed Jane Bodehouse, and she crawled off poor Marvin Jones; they headed out the front door, half-naked.

***

Sookie could tell that people were moving closer to her, but she didn't see anyone. She hoped Sam was going to return soon, because now she was getting totally creeped out. The parking lot was silent, and the noise had died down in the bar. Sookie listened again for human minds and heard something that scared her even more than the silence.

"… Lo lo bromios, lo lo eutherios, lo lo bromios…" Those were the last thoughts Sookie wanted to hear right now.

She started breathing heavily, frantically scanning the parking lot for signs of movement. She didn't dare get out of the car, but she felt like a sitting duck. Suddenly someone tapped on the window.

Sookie shrieked and looked, it was Arlene. Her eyes were black as night. "Hey there, Sookie!"

Sookie just stared at her friend, not knowing what to say. She wanted to yell for Sam, but her tongue felt caught in her throat. Her fingers gripped tightly around the hilt of the dagger.

"We're just coming to get Sam." If not for the bug eyes, Arlene would have sounded perfectly normal, but Sookie knew better. "Why don't you come out and help us find him! It's like a secret mission, but I figure you know Sam better than any of us and…"

Terry grabbed Arlene's arm and jerked her away from the window. The large veteran stood and looked in at Sookie. "Well, hello there Sookie." Then he put two fingers in his mouth and gave a short shrill whistle.

Sookie gulped. Terry looked extremely scary with his black eyes. Plus, he had smeared black grease under both eyes in an attempt to look more intimidating; it worked.

"Terry?" Sookie was really freaking out now. She noticed the other patrons of Merlotte's walking towards Sam's trailer very quietly; he would never see it coming!

"Now you just stay quiet, little girl, and I won't have to hurt you. I wouldn't want to hurt such a pretty girl," Terry trailed off, trying to rationalize with himself. Sookie wouldn't wait and let Sam get captured. She shrieked, "SAM!!"

Terry was pissed off; she had ruined his op. "Now I have to hurt you." He grabbed the baseball bat and swung, hitting the window and shattering the safety glass. Sookie shrieked again as Terry's strong hands began pulling her out of the truck.

"SAM! THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!" Sookie kept yelling until Terry clamped a hand over her mouth and yanked her out of the window, not caring that Sookie was being pulled roughly over the freshly-broken glass. Little pieces pierced her skin and were soon embedded. Eric's Fangtasia shirt was in shreds, and Sookie's jeans were torn.

She tried to swing the knife at Terry, but half her body was still inside the truck. She struggled and pulled her arm out so that she could try again. One arm flailing, Sookie swung and slashed Terry in the arm. He cursed and let her go. Gravity took over and pulled Sookie the rest of the way out of the truck. She hit the ground with a thud, knocking the breath out of her. The dagger clattered to the ground beside her, and Arlene reached down quickly to grab it.

"Oh! Look how pretty it is!" Arlene held the blade up in the moonlight and watched it shine, the blood dripping from it. Terry was holding his arm and still cursing. He kicked at Sookie and his boot connected with Sookie's stomach; she lay there gasping on the gravel parking lot. She flashed back to another night when she had been laying on this same gravel, having the shit kicked out of her. It hadn't been a good night.

Just then Sam stormed out of his trailer, shotgun in hand. "Sookie!"

Sookie tried to respond but couldn't catch her breath.

Sam fired a warning shot over the heads of the advancing crowd. They paused momentarily and then started laughing hysterically. Terry, still holding his wounded arm, walked up the porch steps to Sam. Sam pointed the shotgun straight at Terry.

"Back off, Terry, I don't want to hurt you."

"But can't you see I'm already hurt?"

Terry took his hand away and the blood gushed forth. The crowd loved it. They started chanting, and Sam took a step back away from the bleeding man.

"I mean it, Terry!" Sam warned.

"So do I, Sam!" Terry's black eyes were wide. "You _must_ be taken. You are to be sacrificed to The God Who Comes!"

A loud _Oooh_ resounded in the crowd, and they began chanting "Lo lo bromios, lo lo euthrios, lo lo bromios…"

Terry continued. "Maryann _needs_ you, Sam." He stepped towards Sam and the bar owner took another step backwards, running into the porch railing. There was nowhere else for him to go. His hands shook holding the shotgun.

Terry smiled. "And I'm here to make sure she gets you." He grabbed the shotgun barrel and pointed it upward right as Sam pulled the trigger. A huge hole formed in Sam's porch ceiling and plaster rained down on Terry. The ex-soldier cursed and pulled the gun from Sam's hands. He threw it to the hungry crowd; Mike Spencer caught it and he immediately began caressing it like it was the most beautiful thing he had ever held in his two hands.

Sam saw Sookie on the ground, trying to breathe, and he knew he had to distract the crowd. Better that they take him than take her. He threw himself at Terry and tackled the man to the ground. Terry began wrestling him, and the crowd chanted and egged them on. Jane Bodehouse and Rosie were having their own catfight over which one of them had prettier hair, but none of the crowd cared; they wanted to see the blood coming out of Sam's mouth after Terry punched him and the way that Terry doubled over in pain when Sam got him one in the kidneys. However, Sam couldn't match Terry's military training. Soon Terry had Sam in an arm lock, and there was no way to get out. He struggled, cursing Terry and hoping he was giving Sookie a chance to escape.

Sookie had simply lain on the ground for a couple of seconds, regaining her breath. When Terry had kicked her, her mind had gone blank. Now she registered Sam and Terry fighting on Sam's front porch. She wondered what had happened to Sam's gun but was then distracted by Arlene grabbing her hair and pulling her to her feet. What was it with people wanting to yank her around by her hair?

"I always did like your hair, Sookie," came Arlene's response to her unasked question. "I just didn't think it fair that someone _like you_ should have such pretty hair, what with you not being able to date normal men."

Sookie just let the woman rant as she tried to figure out how to escape. It was important that one of them get free from this mob. She was sure that Eric was on his way, having felt her terror through their bond, but who knew how long it would take for him to get there!

"But you have such pretty red hair," Sookie tried to reason with Arlene, but it was obvious that was the wrong tack to take.

Arlene waved the ceremonial dagger in Sookie's face. "And you think that makes me feel better? Especially after my last four husbands left me for blondes?" Sookie shut her mouth for fear that Arlene would do something stupid.

Terry hauled Sam to his feet. The crowd roared, and Terry felt their admiration rush over him like a wave. It was a good feeling. "Now let's get him to Maryann!"

"What about Sookie?"

Terry turned to see Arlene holding Sookie by the hair, a gold dagger in her hand.

"Bring her, too! Maryann will know what to do." Terry grabbed some duct tape off the porch railing and swiftly bound Sam's hands and put a piece over his lips. Sam growled furiously at the man and would have shifted, but it would have done no good at this point. They were both caught.

Sookie tried to twist out of Arlene's grasp, but the redhead held tightly to Sookie's blonde locks. She walked Sookie over to Terry and smiled prettily while Terry used the duct tape to secure Sookie's hands and mouth.

Terry turned to the crowd. "Get these two in my truck." The crowd manhandled the two prisoners towards Terry's pickup, thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to feel up Sookie and grope Sam. Sookie tried to block out the nasty thoughts but was unable to stop them all.

Finally, both Sam and Sookie were passed towards and thrown indecorously in the back of Terry's pick-up truck. Terry slammed the tailgate and turned to Arlene who was still holding the dagger. "I'd be real pleased if you rode with me in the truck, Arlene."

Arlene blushed. "You sure are sweet, Terry."

"Just bring that dagger and hop in. We'll be at Maryann's in no time." Terry jumped in the driver's seat and started the truck. Arlene slid in the passenger's side.

"What about us?" shouted Mike Spencer.

"Y'all can follow us, if you want," called Terry. "Just gotta get this prize over to Maryann as soon as possible."

"Come everybody!" yelled Mike, "Let's get over to Maryann's!" The crowd whooped and hollered.

Sookie and Sam lay bound in the back of Terry's truck. They were facing each other, and Sam gave Sookie an apologetic look. She just shrugged her shoulders; Eric would be here to save her any moment and everything would be okay.

Terry hit the gas and the couple in the back slid across the truck bed as Terry pulled out onto the road. Riding in the bed of a pickup was anything but comfortable. Sookie could feel bruises beginning to form on one side of her body when they hit bumps in the road. Sam wriggled, trying to loosen his bonds but was having very little luck. The duct tape held him tightly and even if he shifted, it would still stick to his fur, impeding his movement and the element of surprise that the shift would grant him. He would just have to wait.

They turned onto a gravel drive, and Sookie knew it was Maryann's. She stared up at the stars in the sky, looking for the familiar shape of Eric, flying in to rescue her. But he wasn't there.

The truck stopped and Terry turned off the engine. Sliding out of the cab and heading to the back of the truck, he opened the tailgate and surveyed the two prisoners. Maryann was going to be so happy with him!

Arlene came over and held out the dagger. "What am I supposed to do with this?" Her black eyes reflected the light from the front porch, and Terry stared at his own reflection.

"Just give it to Maryann," he said. "She'll know what to do."

"Do with what?" came a voice from the porch. They both turned and saw Maryann standing there in a dark, navy-blue dress. Her hair was slightly wild, and she looked at the pair with anticipation.

"I brought you this knife," Arlene said, holding out the dagger with both hands, like a supplicant before a god.

"And what do I need a knife for?" Maryann replied petulantly; she didn't want these yokels wasting her time.

"I brought you what you asked for," Terry said proudly and grabbed one of Sam's ankles, pulling him to the edge of the truck bed and sitting him up.

When the bound man came into view, Maryann was overjoyed. "Well, well, Sam Merlotte. I've been looking for you," she laughed.

Sam struggled with his bonds again; he really didn't want to be here with Maryann. She stepped off the porch and approached the shifter. Her feet were bare, but she ignored the feeling of the gravel under her toes; she had been waiting for this for a long time.

She gave Sam a once-over and then saw the second bound figure in the back of the truck. "Who is this?" she turned to Terry.

"She was with Sam, so we figured you'd know what to do with her," Terry replied, a little nervous that he had made the wrong call.

"That's Sookie Stackhouse," Arlene said helpfully. She still held the dagger out as if to hand it to Maryann at any moment.

"Sookie Stackhouse!" Maryann was delighted; these two had done a fabulous job!

"Sookie Stackhouse." There was a rush of air, and Lorena stood next to Maryann with her fangs bared. "I've heard so much about you."

"Get them both inside," Maryann ordered Terry and Arlene. The pair hauled Sookie and Sam out of the truck and through the red front door.

Maryann turned to Lorena, "I told you I'd get her for you."

Lorena looked dismissively at the maenad, "And you did. What do you want? A congratulations party?"

"The elixir." Maryann's eyes were wide and desperate.

"After Sookie is dead." Lorena didn't want any mistakes this time.

"We will have a joint sacrifice then. I will not delay my communion with The God Who Comes just so you can have your little party with that telepath." Maryann wanted to get this show on the road.

"Done. But we will wait until tomorrow because first light is only an hour away." Lorena turned and walked back into the house.

Maryann followed, disliking how Lorena ordered her around. She muttered quietly, "Fine."

_**A/N: I will have the next chapter up at the end of next week but if you REVIEW it might be up faster *wink wink* Reviews make me a happy writer! -E**_


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hi Everyone! Sorry I've been such a bad author these past couple months, holidays and then writer's block kept me from finishing this piece. However! The wait is over! Here it is -- the very last chapter of Blood and Love. Thanks to everyone who has helped me with this piece, my friends, my beta VampLover1 (although don't blame her for any typos in this chapter - they're all my fault). Thanks to all my readers and especially my reviewers! I know its been forever since I've updated but please read and review! Now that it's done I'd love to get full feedback on it before I start revising and hopefully reposting. It's been a great experience and now I know I can finish stories :D Thanks everyone. ~Emma**

**Chapter 15**

Eric gazed at the picture of Sookie on his desk. The frame was a dark wood with light touches of gold filigree laid into it. Perfect for his princess. The picture had been taken while she was sleeping; he had wanted to capture her innocent beauty. Running a finger down the glass he smiled to himself.

Then suddenly, a jolt ran through him; Sookie was in trouble. He was on his feet in a flash, knocking over his desk chair and heading towards the door. He could feel her pain and fear and it pissed him off. No one was supposed to touch his Sookie.

Just then, the door opened and Bill rushed into the room, "Eric."

Eric didn't want to talk; he wanted to fight. He needed to protect Sookie. "Not now Bill," Eric growled.

"It's important," Bill stared at the agitated vampire. He had never seen Eric like this, "What is wrong?"

"Sookie is in trouble." Another jolt of fear flashed through the bond and Eric was heading towards the door again.

Bill felt a deep sadness creep over him. Eric's bond with Sookie had canceled his bond. There was no connection between them anymore. He hadn't felt her fear, or her pain. He had really lost her.

"Eric," Bill stopped the older vampire again, "Lorena is there. It's a trap."

Eric whirled around and looked Bill in the eyes, his fangs out and snarled, "What?"

"I smelled her. When I dropped off the human Eggs," Bill explained, "I could feel her in the house where the maenad is."

"So that's why the maenad is after Sookie." Eric said contemplatively. He stood in the doorway, his huge frame filling the small passage.

"What do you mean?" Bill was confused, he figured that Lorena was there to either wreak chaos or find him. Neither was good. But neither involved Sookie.

"Damn it." Now Eric was pissed. Another jolt came through the bond and he glared at Bill but continued, "This is all my fault." Eric glanced at the clock on the wall, it reemphasized what his body was telling him; dawn was only an hour away. He didn't have enough time to get to Bon Temps and save Sookie before the sun came up.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it," Eric paced back and forth in his office with Bill staring at him, having never seen the sheriff look so agitated and concerned. The usual cool demeanor was gone and Bill knew that Eric's love for Sookie was real. This was out of character for the centuries-old vampire.

As Eric continued wearing a hole in the carpet, Pam opened the door and walked into the office

"I could feel your frustration in the next room, Master," Pam crossed her arms, "What's the matter?"

"Lorena is after Sookie," Eric was brief.

Pam's eyebrows went up and she laughed shortly, "Well don't say I didn't warn you."

"Shut up Pam," Eric was in anything but a forgiving mood.

"What are you talking about?" Bill was still utterly confused.

Pam turned to face him but kept her eyes on Eric as if he might attack her for telling this story, "Well remember in Dallas when Lorena found you and kept you prisoner in your room for the majority of the trip?"

"I could have killed her," Bill muttered.

"Too bad you didn't," Pam continued, "Eric invited her to Dallas, told her about your little obsession with Sookie and asked her to distract you; because my dear sweet Master here, wanted Sookie for himself."

"What?!" Bill was starting to understand what had happened.

"So it seems that Lorena wants you back for real, and she thinks Sookie is the only thing in her way. And to her, killing one little human bloodbag is nothing."

"But I have relinquished my claim on Sookie," Bill's old-fashioned manner of speaking always came out when he was stressed.

"Seems she didn't get the monthly New Vampire Bonded newsletter," Pam laughed lightly, which got a very sharp look from Eric.

"And now Sookie is in mortal danger again. Because of me." Eric was beside himself, "I have to get to Bon Temps right away."

"Dawn is in 45 minutes Master," Pam looked at her watch, "I do not advise trying to race the sun, no matter how quickly you think you can fly."

"Curse the sun!" Eric ran his fingers through his hair.

"Let us retire," Pam suggested, "We'll stay in the safe room here in the club and be ready as soon as the sun sets tomorrow."

"Fine," Eric was furious but there was nothing he could do.

The three vampires headed to the hidden basement entrance, which led to the safe room Eric has installed. It was a light-tight space that was used mainly in emergency situations. They settled in, but Eric kept his eyes open, willing himself to stay awake and try to send something to Sookie through their bond. They had not been bonded long, but he thought he should try, so she would know that he hadn't abandoned her.

***

Once inside Maryann's house, Sam and Sookie were thrown in the walk-in pantry and the door was shut tightly. Sookie could hear a key turn and she knew they were locked in. Sam immediately started thrashing in his bonds attempting to get free. Sookie tried to scoot closer to him to help but he thrashed more wildly. Sam knew she couldn't see him in the dark so he thought directly at her, _"I'm going to try shifting. Stay back."_

Sookie heard his intentions and quickly moved to the other side of the small pantry. She could feel the energy rolling off of Sam and suddenly there was a collie next to her entangled in Sam's clothes and fur caught in the same duct tape that had previously ensnared Sam's hands.

The collie whined and tried to get out of the bonds. Sookie rolled over and got her back close to him in an attempt to help. Her hands, still bound by the duct tape, weren't much use.

She let out a muffled grunt and set her head back on the floor. Where was Eric? Why didn't he come to save her? There wasn't much time until dawn and she didn't want to spend the day trapped in the hands of Maryann and that vamp.

The collie, who she still wanted to call Dean, was still thrashing in his bonds. Sookie could hear some hair ripping and Dean whimpering each time. She imagined that it was like having the hair on your head ripped out by the roots each time Dean struggled to get free.

Suddenly, the lock clicked and the door opened. Sookie looked over, hoping to see Eric's massive form filling the doorway, even though she hadn't felt him through the bond. Instead she saw Maryann standing there.

"Oh, little Sam, trying to shift out of your bonds? Cute." Maryann wasn't pleased. She rose up to her full height and lifted her arms. Sookie had no idea what she was going to do and so she tried to scoot away from the crazy woman. Maryann began to softly chant and her body started to vibrate faster than the eye could see. Dean moaned pitifully and suddenly changed back into Sam. His clothes had become askew during his thrashing as Dean and the increase of body in the clothes, ripped them to shreds.

Sam glared daggers at Maryann who laughed prettily and pulled the duct tape off of Sam's mouth. She ignored Sookie altogether.

"What a pretty little doggie you make," she patronized.

"Go to hell," Sam was furious.

"Oh don't worry Sam," Maryann flashed her teeth at the shifter, "it's not permanent, just some insurance till later. Until then," she waggled her fingers at the pair on the floor, and closed the door. Sam let out and grunt and lay back; Sookie just sighed and tried to focus on the bond between her and Eric. She wanted him to send her a sign, anything saying he was on his way.

She lay there silently for a few moments, simply thinking about Eric and the bond that they shared. Sookie knew the likelihood of being able to hear his thoughts was slim, but she focused her telepathy on their link.

Suddenly, she felt him. It was almost like she was there with him and he was here with her. _"Eric?" _she thought.

"_Sookie, my love, this is a very advanced bonding technique, our love must be very strong indeed."_ She could hear him smirking.

"_Where are you?"_ Was he going to save her?

"_Unfortunately, my timing with the sun was a bit off. Bill, Pam and I are resting safely. I will be with you at sunset." _

"_We're at Maryann's, Sam is here with me. The vampire Lorena, she wants to kill me! And Maryann said there will be a double sacrifice tomorrow night."_

"_I will save you before that happens, lover." _Eric sounded cocky, even in his thoughts.

Sookie paused before she continued, _"I love you Eric."_

"_And I love you as well. Try not to get into any more trouble until I get there." _Eric's voice began to grow faint and Sookie realized he was falling asleep.

"_I will!"_ And she felt him fall into his deathly slumber. She opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling, it was going to be a long day.

***

The day _had _been very long. Sookie's mouth was dry from being taped shut and she yearned to tell Sam the news about Eric, but there was nothing she could do. Sam had been lapsing in and out of consciousness due to Maryann's spell. At one point, the Asian man came and took her to the bathroom and let her wash out her mouth and drink a little water but she was quickly retaped and returned to the walk-in pantry.

Sam was given less formal treatment, apparently Maryann's sadistic side preferred for Sam to go outside to use the restroom and she sprayed him down with a hose. He came back to the pantry, soaking wet and cold. Sookie, who had been embarrassed by his nakedness at first, now felt terrible for him. She scooted closer to him, hoping that her body heat and her clothing would help dry him and keep him from being too cold.

As sunset grew closer, Sookie lay on the floor and waited to feel the bond reawaken. She could always feel when Eric awoke; it had scared her at first because he awoke with such an intense bloodlust that had a tendency to rub off on her. Sookie liked very rare red meat in the evenings, something she had never even considered eating before. She had typically liked her meat well done.

Suddenly, the crazy rush swept over her, Sookie moaned and Sam looked at her to make sure she was okay. She blushed and looked at Sam apologetically. That was the other side effect of Eric waking up, it made her hornier than rabbit in heat. She closed her eyes and took a couple deep breaths; she just needed to calm down a bit.

Her concentration was thrown off by the door to the pantry opening and filling with a dark shadow.

"Well, well, well," Lorena smirked at the disheveled pair lying on the floor, "You both look delicious!" Her fangs popped and she stepped inside the doorframe. She sniffed the air, "Oh and smell delicious." She faced Sookie and licked her lips.

Sookie cringed. Her jeans were torn, the Fangtasia shirt shredded and she was tied up with duct tape lying on the floor. Not exactly how you want a hungry vampire to find you; especially when you've just been aroused by the blood bond you have with a very hot sexy vampire. Crap.

Sookie squirmed in her bonds and Sam rolled over in attempt to block Sookie's body from sight. Even in his undressed state, he was still trying to protect her.

"Oh look, how sweet, the shifter is trying to protect the little bloodbag. Cute." Lorena's voice was dry with sarcasm.

She knelt down and picked Sookie up. It was as if she weighed no more than a suitcase. Sam struggled to stand and stop her, but he only managed to get halfway up. Then a voice stopped everyone.

"I guess this means we need to get started." Maryann had appeared in the kitchen and found Lorena removing the girl from the pantry.

"Well I thought I'd have a little snack, so to ssspeak." Lorena still had a bit of lisp when her fangs were out.

Maryann waggled at finger at the vampire, "Not until I get my elixir and we get this lovely little mutt out into the backyard. I want to make my sacrifice."

Lorena sighed, "Not even sip?" She sounded quite desperate to drink Sookie's blood. Sookie was trying to stay as still as possible and not attract any more attention then was necessary. Where was Eric?!

"Not even a sip." She waved Carl over and had him removed Sam from the small room. "It's almost time though."

"Fine," the female vampire was a bit perturbed but she quickly regained her composure. "A double sacrifice, just like we said last night."

"Exactly," Maryann rubbed her hands together, the bangles on her arms clinking together.

***

Eric flew quickly towards Bon Temps. As each mile passed, he felt the bond between him and Sookie grow stronger and thicker. When he was at the club in Shreveport, the bond was like a thin string of taffy, stretched out, but now the string was folding on itself, getting stickier by the second.

The sparse lights of the town were the only indication from the sky but Eric looked down at the earth and trees anyway. Flying was a favorite pastime and if not for Sookie's life being in danger, he would have skimmed the tops of the trees and scared unwary owls. It was a perfect night, there were no clouds in the sky, and no threat of chilly condensation to ruin his clothes or mess up his hair.

"Sookie would love this," Eric thought to himself.

Another jolt through the bond reminded him that Sookie was in danger. Thinking about romantic dates, flying through the open air would have to wait until later.

He reached the edge of Bon Temps and flew towards Maryann's mansion on the hill. Pam and Bill would be there shortly, they were running at full speed because Eric had thought driving at 120mph could attract the wrong attention. He felt through the bond that Sookie was unhurt but pissed and little frightened. He sent the feelings of love and he could tell she got them when she started to throw excited feelings back at him through their connection.

Landing in the front yard, the house was brightly lit. Evidently, Maryann was planning on having a party of some sort. Eric growled, he didn't like Maryann's idea of a party, especially when it served up Sookie as entertainment.

He briefly considered walking up to the front door and ringing the bell. They would never suspect he would ask nicely to be let in. But as he approached the front door, he heard sounds coming from the backyard.

Eric's curiosity got the better of him and he quietly circled around the exterior of the white clapboard plantation.

In the backyard, a group of figures stood facing a large stone altar. Eric wondered briefly if Maryann had gone down and purchased that at Home Depot and then shook his head. He needed to concentrate.

Eric saw a prone form lying on the altar; it was Sam, and Maryann was standing over him holding a large jeweled knife. A knife that looked suspiciously like the one that he had entrusted to the shifter less than 24 hours ago. Good to see that he could hold on treasured artifacts. That knife had been his when he terrorized Eastern Europe during the 14th century. Knives always distracted people while he opened his mouth and attacked with his fangs. Those were the days.

Sookie. A flash of gold hair caught his attention and he saw his lover being held by a very familiar vampire, Lorena. Sookie's hands had been tied behind her back and the vampire was holding her by the arms. Lorena was constantly pushing the hair back from Sookie's neck and alternating glaring at Maryann and licking her lips at Sookie.

This would not stand. She was his. The blood in his body practically grew hot just looking at the situation and he strode quickly from the bushes into the clearing where they were standing.

"You have my _property_," He declared menacingly. The pit fire reflected off his hair and deepened his eye sockets making him quite ominous looking.

Lorena swung and faced him while Maryann placed the dagger on Sam's neck. _"Damnit"_ Eric cursed himself, _ "so much for coming up with a plan instead of just barreling in."_

"_Your_ property?" Lorena's voice betrayed the shock that she obviously felt.

"You have no business here vampire." Maryann's voice boomed with the millennia of age and experience.

"Oh but I do." Eric pushed his hands in his pockets and tried to look casual while he approached the very tense group.

"I wonder what property you are talking about," Lorena retracted her fangs, and then directed a question at Eric, "Do you mean the dog?"

Maryann laughed and Eric growled menacingly.

"The _dog_ is of no concern to me," Eric said, trying to maintain his composure. He moved forwards a bit more. Sam thrashed against his bonds. Eric was now only steps from Sookie and Lorena.

Sookie's eyes were flashing wildly and Eric could feel her emotions coursing through their bond.

Maryann turned to Lorena, "Surely, he couldn't mean dear Sookie? I thought you said that she was the other vampire's pet."

"Bill's" said Lorena, her face clouding in confusion. Her eyes flashed and she growled at Eric, "Explain yourself."

Eric shrugged his shoulders, "Bill lost her. She is mine." He couldn't make it more plain or simple.

"Lost?" The incredulous looks on the women's faces spoke for themselves.

"Lost." Eric was firm. "Now are you going to let me retrieve my property?"

"Hmm, I don't know if that's a good idea," said Lorena nervously. She knew that Sookie was the only bargaining chip she had to get out of this situation alive. Then she hastily added, "Eric, I didn't know you had claimed her."

"Too late." Eric smiled sweetly at the treacherous vampire, "If only you had reported entering my territory, like you were supposed to according to our laws, then we could have avoided this little situation. But now you have two strikes Lorena." His smile turned wicked, "I bet Bill can give you a third."

With Eric's phrase, Bill flung himself out of the shadows and grabbed Lorena from behind. The brunette screamed and fangs flashed. Sookie was pushed forward and she fell onto the ground. Eric was at her side in an instant, sat her up and quickly removed her bonds.

"Oh Eric!" Sookie was beaming.

"I told you I'd rescue you." Eric smiled at her, his fangs still bared.

Bill continued to fight Lorena on the ground to the side. Maryann was screaming about the elixir and yelling at Lorena to give it to her. The female vampire ignored her, too caught up in her own fight. She scratched at the younger vampire and made neat lacerations across his face and chest. Bill only winced and grabbed her hand.

"None of that now," he said calmly.

Then he twisted her arm and broke her wrist; all the while, Lorena tried to punch him in the face. The pain from her now broken appendage blurred her vision and she missed; only sideswiping his ear. Bill pressed down on her broken wrist with one hand and straddled her body. Her back arched in pain and she screamed. Being a vampire didn't make you invulnerable to pain.

"You bitch," Bill was screaming at the vampire on the ground. "I left you. Get over it!"

"But I made you!" She whimpered at him, the pain making her momentarily weak.

"And now, I release you from that burden." With a roar, Bill grabbed her head in both hands and twisted violently. There was a sickening crack and then she was still.

Sookie hid her head in Eric's chest. She couldn't believe Bill had just done that. Though, she supposed living for a century with a bitchy girlfriend could make a person do just about anything.

Maryann shrieked as Lorena lay dead on the ground. She ran to the corpse and searched the pockets for the elixir. In Lorena's front pocket, there was a tiny vial. Uncapping it, she quickly drank the potion.

A sudden glow filled her body. The light filled the entire backyard and lit up the night sky. Eric and Bill were blinded, their eyes unaccustomed to such a bright light. Sookie shielded her eyes and watched Maryann pick the ceremonial knife back up. It was the knife Maryann had taken from Sam the night before, Eric's knife. Sookie glanced over at Sam who was still bound on the altar. Maryann raised both her arms up in the air and began chanting those horrid words, "Lo, lo bromios. Lo, lo, euthiros. Lo, lo bromios…."

Sookie stood and ran towards the altar where Sam was and tried to free him from his bonds. His eyes were wide and his face wild. Sookie removed the tape from his mouth with a rip.

"OW!" Sam yelled, "Damn it Sookie! Hurry!"

She fumbled with the duct tape and tried to rip it or stretch it so that he could be freed. As she worked on the bonds, the light from Maryann began to fade and suddenly it was night again.

Sookie looked over her shoulder and saw Maryann touching her face and laughing manically. Whatever the effect of the potion had been, it had obviously happened. Then a wind began picking up and seemed to swirl only in the backyard. A slight music filled the air, like a reed flute, or pan pipes.

Maryann began chanting louder and she approached Sam. "Get out of my way, human girl."

Sookie who had still been frantically trying to free Sam, whirled around and faced Maryann. She stepped toward the two human, the knife held in front of her. Behind the maenad, Bill lay crying over Lorena's body, and Eric was slowly getting to his feet. Eric, still slightly blinded, rushed Maryann, knocking the maenad over. The knife scattered from her hand.

"Quick Sookie!" Sam cried, "Get the knife!"

Sookie fell to her knees and searched blindly in the tall grass for the sharp knife. Her fingers found the edge of it and she cut herself, "Shit!" She grasped the hilt and held it up.

"Got it!" she yelled and watched Maryann struggled to push Eric off.

"You shall not live through this night, shifter!" She yelled.

The swirling wind grew stronger and there was a sense of anticipation in the air. Sookie knew she had to protect Sam, since he was still bound to the stone slab.

"Lord Who Comes, God of mine, I am here!" Maryann was in a religious frenzy now. She rushed towards the altar; unaware in her madness that Sookie had found the ceremonial blade.

"Stay back," Sookie tried to warn the maenad, but she rushed straight at her, seemingly intent to tear Sam's heart out with her hands. Anything to ascend with her God and achieve her ultimate desire.

It all happened so quickly. Sookie was holding the knife, Maryann was running. And then the knife was in Maryann's belly, and the blood was pouring down, staining the white dress that she had on. Like crimson dye, the blood covered the fabric, changing the very nature of the dress.

The wind began to shriek with Maryann as she held her belly and fell to her knees, "NOOOOO!"

"Oh my god!" Sookie dropped the knife. Her hands were covered in blood. Eric was at her side in an instant.

Maryann rested her back against the altar, where Sam still lay. She looked at the blood on her hands. "But I am not mortal, I am maenad, I cannot be killed…"

"The elixir made you mortal, even just briefly, so that your beloved God could commune with your soul. Something you, immortal maenad, have been without for centuries." Eric calmly explained to her while stroking the sobbing Sookie's hair.

Maryann looked imploringly at Eric, and then at Bill, who had wiped some of the bloody tears from his face.

"There is nothing we can do for you now maenad," Bill's words were solemn but final.

The raven haired maenad grimaced in pain and closed her eyes. It would not be long now until her God could have her, this time for good. The blood from her wound dripped from between her fingers, continuing to stain her dress. Wind continued to whip through the trees and bushes, anticipating the final climax.

"Then I am my own sacrifice. I commit myself to the God Who Comes…" and with those words her head fell towards her chest, her fingers came away from her wound and the sound of her once immortal soul escaping her centuries old body was heard by all those there.

As the sound of wind and pipes faded, Maryann's body crumbled into dust and was blown away. All that was left was a small patch of blood red earth where her body had lain. The God Who Comes had reclaimed his creature, and she had been returned to the earth from which she came.

Sookie lay with her head still against Eric's shoulder, her face streaked with tears and her hands still covered in blood. Eric held her tightly and was trying to calm the anguished girl.

"It's over now Sookie," Eric whispered in her ear.

"I killed her Eric," Sookie was practically inconsolable.

"But she would have killed you."

"But… I killed another living being," Sookie's mind couldn't quite wrap itself around what had just happened. Going deer hunting with Jason was all well and good, but killing another person was too much for her. Maryann had been not quite human, but it still didn't seem right.

"I will always love you Sookie," Eric continued to whisper, "even if you kill every maenad we ever meet."

"I hope I never meet another maenad for the rest of my life!" Sookie was indignant and sniffling now, the tears having subsided.

"And most likely we wont," Eric tilted her head back, his hand smoothing her hair, and he looked her in the eye, "it isn't if they are a common breed."

Sookie just gave him a half smile and stared in his gorgeous eyes.

"I'm sorry you had to kill her Sookie, I wish I could have spared you that horror. I will do everything in my power to make it up to you," and then Eric kissed her, their lips meeting in perfect harmony with one another.

"Would someone please untie me now?" came a very tired voice.

Sookie broke the kiss with Eric, "Oh Sam!" She rushed to the shifter's side, ignoring Eric's annoyance. She grabbed the knife that had nearly made him a sacrifice and cut his bonds swiftly.

Sam sat up and rubbed his wrists where they had been bound. "Thanks Sook. I'm so sorry." His eyes were dark with meaning and Sookie understood his apology. Sam would have died to prevent her from having to kill Maryann. Luckily, Sookie wouldn't let that happen.

"What? Did I miss the party?" came an annoyed voice from the patio. Pam stood in all black clothes and Coach running shoes. She had one hand on her hip and the other firmly holding the collar of Carl's shirt. "I always miss all the fun." She was pouting now.

Eric dusted his hands off and stood. The grass had left marks on his jeans, and his hair was slightly tousled, "You should run faster, Pam."

"And here I thought I'd be swooping in and saving your ass at the last second Master!" Her voice was light, "Does this mean I can keep him?" Carl whimpered.

"As much fun as I know you'd have with him," Eric intoned, "it probably isn't in my best interest. God knows what kind of torture you'd put him through and what kind of legal ramifications it would have for me this time."

"Last time was a mistake," Pam's voice was apologetic, "but I promise to be more careful this time. I won't give him a chance to escape, no matter how much I want to hunt him."

"No, Pam." Eric was firm. "Glamour him and let him go."

"You're no fun," she was just trying to press his buttons now, but Eric knew that.

"Oh I am plenty of fun!" He turned to Sookie and swept her into an embrace and a very passionate kiss.

"Come on!" Sam said loudly.

"Well I guess I should be going," Bill interjected.

Sookie broke from the kiss and turned to Bill with a slight gasp (kissing Eric was breathtaking). "Oh Bill! I'm sorry!"

"She was my maker. I must mourn properly for her passing." Bill was stiff with formality, something that hardly covered the grief he was feeling.

Sookie ran and hugged him, he paused briefly and looked to Eric for assent before returning the hug, "Bill, if you need anything, please just let me know."

"And I should say the same to you Sookie," he bowed his head gravely and nodded to Eric, "I will see you at Fangtasia." It was a clever hint that Eric should leave Bill alone until he was ready for polite vampire society again.

Eric nodded in return, "Be well Bill." And Bill was gone.

Sam had found a spare pool towel and wrapped his around his waist, "Well I guess I'd better head home, this is more than enough excitement for me this evening."

"Yes, I think that is an excellent plan… Sam," Eric only looked slightly pained calling Sam by his proper name. "Perhaps Pam will drive you back to your house."

"Of course Master," Pam had finished glamouring the Asian man, who had gone back inside, probably to bed. "Maryann had fine taste in cars." She smirked slightly.

Sam paled momentarily and then said, "Thank you, Pam."

"You're welcome, Shifter. Don't say I never did anything for you," she turned on her heel and headed back into the house towards the garage.

Sam paused and then turned to Sookie. Grabbing her in a warm embrace, he kissed her on the cheek, "I owe you a huge debt, cher. If you ever need anything, I am yours entirely." Sookie blushed and Sam pulled the pool towel tighter around his waist.

"Good night Sam. Thank you." Sookie watched as Sam followed Pam into the house and she turned back to Eric. His blond hair shone in the moonlight and the dying firelight. He looked practically regal standing there waiting for her.

She went to him and put her arms around his middle. He held her close and kissed her on top of her head. "Sookie, my love, I think it's time to get you home. Do you trust me?"

She nodded, unable to vocalize anything anymore. She simply wanted to be close to him, to be with him, anything, as long as she was with _her_ Eric.

"Then hold on tight." Sookie wouldn't have let go for anything, so it was easy to simply hold on a bit longer.

Eric smiled to himself as he gently lifted them both off the ground. He knew Sookie was going to love this.

Sookie gasped, "We're flying Eric!"

"Quickest way to get you home, lover." Eric couldn't keep the amusement out of his voice and he carefully flew them towards Sookie's house.

"This is amazing!" Sookie was completely drained of emotion from the difficult night, however, flying was something that always took your breath away.

"We can spend many more nights flying together, lover. I am yours, and you are mine." Succinct and direct, Sookie wouldn't have him any other way.

"I love you Eric." She kissed him again, and he spun them in a gentle loop as they continued kissing.

"And I love you, my dear Sookie." They landed softly on her front porch, "Now let's get you in bed."

"You had better be joining me Sheriff." Sookie teased.

"Anything you wish, lover." And he kissed her again.

**THE END**

**YAY~ Thanks everyone! And of course please REVIEW!!!! It makes me so happy when I get reviews~**


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